Amtrak, SEPTA service resume, haltingly, after derailment

Service resumed on Monday on the Amtrak and SEPTA train lines that were shut down six days ago by the deadly derailment at Frankford Junction.

The suspension of service on the Amtrak line between New York and Philadelphia and on SEPTA's Trenton Line had forced thousands to find alternate ways to make trips or get to work following the derailment last Tuesday that killed eight people and injured more than 200 others.

Despite the resumption of service, transit officials advised riders to expect delays and some SEPTA trains were canceled.

At 30th Street Station, Mayor Nutter greeted passengers boarding the first Amtrak train headed to New York City from the station.

Train 110 left 30th Street Station at 6:09 a.m., 16 minutes after its scheduled departure time of 5:53 a.m.

On the Trenton Line, riders faced delays, some as long as an hour, throughout the morning.

The transit agency said early Monday afternoon that most trains were operating close to schedule but some continued delays were possible due to continued repair work.

A few early-morning trains on the line were canceled, and at least one other operated as an express train for part of the route due to overcrowding.

Trenton Line trains are not stopping at the North Philadelphia station.

Earlier, outbound trains to Trenton also didn't make stops at the Bridesburg and Tacony stations, but trains began picking up and dropping off riders at those stations shortly after 2 p.m.

Passengers on the Chestnut Hill East Line are also expected to see delays.

The West Trenton Line, which had been running additional trains in the wake of the derailment, is back to its normal schedule.

After the mangled train cars were cleared from the site, crews worked around-the-clock to repair the tracks, which were heavily damaged in the high-speed derailment.

"The safety of our passengers and crew remains our number one priority," Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman said in a statement Sunday night, announcing service would resume. "Our infrastructure repairs have been made with the utmost care and emphasis on infrastructure integrity including complete compliance with Federal Railroad Administration directives."

Tens of thousands of commuters and travelers on the highly trafficked corridor had their routes disrupted during the shut down.

Not only did the shutdown halt traffic between Philadelphia and New York, it, by extension, affected the heavily traveled Washington-New York route.