At least five people were injured after a fire broke out in a rail yard train car near New York’s Penn Station, and service for many commuters was disrupted early Friday (local time), authorities said.
The incident caused train delays in New Jersey Transit and Amtrak rail service into New York and also briefly suspended Long Island Rail Road service, more than a week after a strike had shut down that system, AP reported.
Fire officials said 100 firefighters responded to the fire earlier today and that five people were hurt. Two of them were taken to a hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.
Penn Station, underneath Madison Square Garden, can serve roughly 600,000 passengers daily via Amtrak, the New York subway system, New Jersey Transit and the LIRR.
Train services delayed
In a post on X, New Jersey Transit posted that it was an Amtrak train car that caught fire “in one of the Hudson River tunnels.” It said the fire resulted in “overhead wire damage,” and added, “Impacts are expected to last through the morning rush hour.”
It added, “Due to Amtrak overhead wire damage resulting from an earlier Amtrak track car fire in one of the Hudson River Tunnels, NJ TRANSIT rail service is suspended between Penn Station New York & Newark Penn Station. Midtown Direct service is being diverted to Hoboken.”
NJ Transit said that rail tickets and passes will also be accepted on NJ Transit buses, private bus operators and PATH trains at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and Manhattan’s 33rd Street station.
Amtrak posted on X that it suspended its service until at least noon Friday due to maintenance resulting “from a now extinguished fire in the New York area.” It said lengthy delays were expected for trains traveling north of New York.
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) said that commuters can expect delays and cancellations during the morning commute, but the service has resumed from Penn Station. Additionally, some trains will continue to be diverted to Grand Central Terminal and Long Island City.
NYC Mayor reacts to fire incident
Following the incident, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised the quick work of the first responders who were able to control the fire after it reached two alarms.
“I’m grateful to the brave firefighters and EMS members who responded quickly to extinguish this train fire and protect New Yorkers in a moment of danger,” Mandani wrote. “Let’s keep those who were injured in our thoughts and wish them a swift, full recovery.”
This is a developing story. More details awaited.
