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Downed wires left Amtrak’s Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York passengers stranded. NJ Transit was also affected

Amtrak’s X account says two of four tracks on the corridor have returned to service but trains are moving at reduced speeds with delays expected.

File photo of Amtrak passengers at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Amtrak service is expected to resume at noon.
File photo of Amtrak passengers at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Amtrak service is expected to resume at noon.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Travelers woke up the Sunday before Christmas to an Amtrak notification: “Service temporarily suspended between New York and Philadelphia.”

Downed wires were the cause of the service interruption during much of the day, while Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York travelers took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to ask Amtrak for their train status.

Almost two hours after the original announcement, Amtrak’s X account assured upset passengers that lines were suspended until 9 a.m. But soon that deadline became 10 a.m. and then noon. By 1:30 p.m. partial service has resumed, but riders were told to expect delays.

“I’ve been waiting in New York Penn since 4 a.m. My flight is at 1:45 p.m. at Baltimore and I was scheduled to be there at 7 a.m. Now they are saying tracks would be closed until 12 p.m. What is Amtrak going to do about this,” user Kevin Kim commented on Amtrak’s X’s account. It was followed by an apology from the railroad company.

Amtrak’s X account says two of four tracks on the corridor have returned to service but trains are moving at reduced speeds with delays expected.

Travelers with affected reservations will be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or on another day, Amtrak said. Additional fees will be waived for travelers who reschedule their reservation during the service suspension by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL, Amtrak said.

The Atlantic City Rail Line was also impacted by the Amtrak disruption.

Service was suspended in both directions between Cherry Hill and Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station due to the same downed wires, which NJ Transit says on its website were near 30th Street Station. Around 7:30 p.m. service resumed in both directions, according to an update on their website.