Amtrak service disrupted between Philadelphia and New York, Boston and New York

Just one weekend into the Christmas holiday travel season, Amtrak suspended service Sunday morning between New York’s Penn Station and Philadelphia because of "downed overhead power wires blocking the tracks," the railroad said.

The railroad announced the interruption at 5 a.m. and initially said service was expected to resume at 10 a.m. A later announcement on social media said it would be running again by noon. 

By Sunday afternoon, service on two tracks between New York Penn Station and Philadelphia's 30th Street Station had been restored, "operating at reduced speeds," according to Amtrak's website. But the company warned that "customers traveling along the Northeast Corridor should expect delays of at least 30 to 60 minutes." 

Downed wires near Newark's Penn Station also briefly disrupted service on the Northeast Corridor between New York and Philadelphia on the morning of Dec. 2, and several times in June and July.

A passenger advocate said last summer that some of the service suspensions were the result of aged infrastructure, Newsday previously reported.

Amtrak has offered to accommodate customers with reservations on the line "with similar departure times or another day" and will waive charges for those looking to change their reservation.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, Amtrak canceled a train between Boston and Washington D.C. "due to equipment issues," noting that impacted customers would be "accommodated on the next available service."

Earlier in the day, Amtrak also canceled a train between D.C. and New York, and two other trains between Boston and D.C.

Travelers can get further updates on X at @AmtrakNECAlerts.

With Brianne Ledda