Amtrak temporarily halts all trains between New York and Washington over power issues

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak said Wednesday it was temporarily suspending all train service between New York and Washington because of overhead power issues in Philadelphia, disrupting the travel plans of thousands of riders.

Amtrak said the suspension because of downed overhead wires blocking the tracks would last until around 3 p.m. ET and trains in service will hold at a station until service resumes. Amtrak has faced several major service disruptions in the last six months in New Jersey.

Amtrak and NJ Transit said in August they had increased examination, inspection and maintenance activities aimed at preventing disruptions. About 12 million passengers traveled in 2023 between Washington and Boston yearly on Amtrak.

Amtrak transports about five times as many passengers between New York and Washington as airlines.

Separately, Amtrak said service remained suspended indefinitely between New York Penn Station and New Haven, Connecticut, due to a fire east of Penn Station on Tuesday.

Customers traveling between New York and New Haven can use the Metro-North Railroad to travel between the cities via New York Grand Central Terminal.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis)