Penn service resumes after NJ Transit train derails

NJ Transit officials said service at Penn Station had resumed around 8 p.m. after a Thursday afternoon train derailment there had caused delays and suspensions during the evening commute.

Early Friday morning, the LIRR said in an advisory that it was expecting a normal morning rush as NJ Transit crews worked on recovery efforts at Penn.

"Train service in and out of Penn Station New York has resumed and is subject to 2-hour delays following an earlier minor, slow-speed train derailment near Penn station." read a 8:07 p.m. tweet by NJ Transit.

"Midtown Direct Line trains will continue to be diverted to Hoboken Terminal through the remainder of the service night. PATH will cross-honor rail tickets and passes at 33rd St., NPS and HOB," read an 8:08 tweet. "NJT rail tickets will be cross-honored by NJT and private carrier buses."

No injuries were reported in the derailment, the FDNY said.

The Long Island Rail Road canceled the 6:06 p.m. train to Wantagh because of the derailment, said MTA spokesman Chris McKniff. "It did cause us to cancel one train and caused delays on other trains to depart from Penn,” he said, adding shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday that he was unsure how many trains were delayed.

But NJ Transit riders were frustrated with what they saw as an attempt by transit officials to downplay the problem as they remained waiting in terminals or stranded on trains idling in dark tunnels.

“I’ve been waiting here for an hour,” said Jennifer Sheppard, 49, of Morristown, New Jersey, adding that her commute is 4 hours long. “I’m a single mom. My son has a math test tomorrow. How long is this going to take?”

Other commuters crowded around the timetable monitors screens and cursed every cancellation announcement.

“I watched three trains get canceled in a row,” said Jane Irwin, an attorney from Summit, New Jersey. “This is more of an airport delay than train delay. It feels like we’re stuck on the tarmac.”