Fire at Penn Station Disrupts Major Rail Services

An early morning fire at Manhattan’s Penn Station led to significant service disruptions for Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the Long Island Railroad on Friday morning. The incident caused widespread delays and cancellations, impacting many commuters dependent on these services.

The fire occurred near the North River Tunnel, which connects Penn Station to New Jersey. It resulted in numerous cancellations for Long Island Railroad (LIRR) service, with limited operation resuming around 7 a.m. NJ Transit trains to Newark and Amtrak trains heading south of New York were suspended. Amtrak reported severe delays for travelers between New York City and northern areas.

NJ Transit outages also affected MetroNorth service on the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis Lines west of the Hudson River. A social media update from the railway stated that “due to an earlier Amtrak track car fire in one tube of the North River Tunnel, rail service is suspended between Penn Station New York and Newark Penn Station.”

The fire began at approximately 1:25 a.m. due to an incident involving an Amtrak contractor maintenance vehicle just outside the tunnel. The FDNY reported receiving a call shortly after 1:30 a.m. about a work train on fire. By 2:43 a.m., the situation escalated to a two-alarm fire. A total of 141 firefighters and EMS personnel responded, and the fire was controlled by 4 a.m.

Five individuals sustained injuries, according to the FDNY. Three declined medical treatment on the scene, while two were taken to Bellevue Hospital with serious injuries. Mayor Mamdani expressed appreciation for the emergency responders, stating, “I’m grateful to the brave firefighters and EMS members who responded quickly to extinguish this train fire and protect New Yorkers in a moment of danger. Let’s keep those who were injured in our thoughts and wish them a swift, full recovery.”

Amtrak, which owns Penn Station and the surrounding tunnels, reported damage to the overhead wires powering the train services. The fire affected Amtrak’s southbound service, expected to remain suspended until Friday afternoon. In a statement, Amtrak apologized for the inconvenience and offered rebooking and refunds to affected passengers as it worked to resume normal service.

This incident follows a previous service disruption at the station due to an electrical fire sparked by a dangling panel from an Amtrak Acela train earlier in the month, causing service interruptions for two days.