A fire erupted in an Amtrak work train near New York's Penn Station early on Friday morning, injuring five people and damaging infrastructure inside one of the Hudson River tunnels [1, 2]. The New York Fire Department received the call about the fire on track 11 at Penn Station at 1:32 a.m. and escalated the response to a second alarm by 2:43 a.m., deploying 46 units and 141 fire and EMS personnel to fight the blaze [2]. The fire was brought under control shortly after 4 a.m. [2].
The fire damaged overhead wiring and track infrastructure inside the tunnel, forcing Amtrak to suspend services until at least noon on Friday morning to complete repairs [1, 2]. New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road also experienced delays and suspensions due to the damaged tunnel and affected tracks [1, 2]. According to NJ Transit, "rail service is experiencing significant impacts due to an earlier Amtrak track car fire in one of the Hudson River tunnels. Impacts are expected to last through the morning rush hour" [2]. Their website announced that service between Newark Penn Station and Penn Station New York is suspended, with cross-honoring of fares on PATH trains and buses in effect for affected riders [2].
Among the five injured, two were seriously hurt and transported to Bellevue Hospital, while three refused medical attention on site [2]. The cause of the fire remains under investigation [2].
Amtrak stated on its website that it is "working as quickly as possible to make the necessary repairs and restore service as soon as possible" [2]. The ongoing repairs inside the tunnel will determine when normal service can fully resume.
