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

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

Downed wires are being looked into as the cause of the service interruption, while Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York travelers take 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 on X 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 can 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 is also being impacted by the Amtrak disruption.

Service is 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 are near 30th Street Station. As of 2:30 p.m. there is no timetable for service to resume, according to a spokesperson.

In the meantime, NJ Transit rail tickets are being honored by PATCO and substitute buses are operating between Cherry Hill and 30th Street Station.