Amtrak suspends service between NYC and New Haven due to broken track

Due to a broken track, Amtrak suspended operations between New York City and New Haven for several hours on Monday – the latest disruption to commuter traffic in the metropolitan region.

According to Amtrak, which first reported the disruptions at around 9:30 a.m., service was expected to be suspended from that morning until 2 p.m. Monday. The rail operator said crews were working to resolve the problem.

Ticket holders who were supposed to travel between New York Penn Station and New Haven will be accommodated on the Metro-North Railroad between Grand Central Terminal and New Haven, Amtrak said. Since 10:30 a.m., several Amtrak trains between Penn Station and New Haven have been canceled.

The S-Bahn operator apologized for the disruptions in a statement and announced that it would continue to stay in contact with the affected customers.

Amtrak also experienced problems on the Northeast Line on Sunday, causing commuter delays for both Amtrak and NJ Transit in the New York City metropolitan area.

Amtrak and NJ Transit committed to more frequent inspections of train equipment last month after significant delays were caused by problems with overhead wires.

But passengers were angry Sunday after several Amtrak and NJ Transit trains between Trenton and New York City were canceled or delayed because of downed power lines, according to Amtrak. Both services use Amtrak’s tracks north of Trenton.

An Amtrak train heading to New York City left commuters stranded in the New Jersey capital around 6 p.m.

Quynh Troung was on that train, en route to Manhattan after attending a conference in Washington, D.C., when Amtrak officials announced the cancellation. She said she joined three other passengers she did not know to hail a $320 rideshare car to continue her trip.

“It’s very frustrating, they have to provide some kind of compensation,” Troung said. “Because I paid for a trip to New York City and they dropped me off in Trenton, New Jersey.”

The car ride to Manhattan ended up taking more than two hours, she said. And when she contacted Amtrak about compensation for her canceled train, she was told that customer service would get back to her within five to seven business days.

An Amtrak spokesman said Monday that it would offer refunds to passengers whose trains were canceled on Sunday due to downed power lines.

This summer, commuters in the New York area were plagued by rail problems as repeated heat waves caused several infrastructure outages. Experts say transit agencies need to do more preventative maintenance to avoid future service disruptions.

This story has been updated with additional information.