Downed wires suspend NJ Transit, Amtrak trains at 30th Street Station

Travelers hoping to head to Cherry Hill, New Jersey or New York City from William H. Gray III 30th Street on Sunday morning saw their travel times stretched out a bit as the train lines were suspended early in the day.

On Sunday morning, at about 3:30 a.m., NJ Transit officials announced that, due to “downed Amtrak overhead wires” near 30th Street station, train service in both directions between Cherry Hill and Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station would be suspended.

That suspension was still in effect as of about 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.

NJ Transit officials said that rail tickets for this line were being honored by PATCO and a substitute bus service was being provided between Cherry Hill and Philadelphia.

(1/2) Atlantic City Rail Line service is suspended in both directions between Cherry Hill and Philadelphia 30th Street due to downed Amtrak overhead wires near Philadelphia 30th Street.

— Atlantic City Line (@NJTRANSIT_ACRL) December 22, 2024

Also, just before 5:30 a.m., Amtrak too alerted riders that service would be shutdown for sometime due to downed wires.

Initially, Amtrak told riders that trains could start moving again by 9 a.m., but, in an update, that time was pushed back until about noon on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.

ALERT UPDATE: Service remains temporarily suspended between New York (NYP) and Philadelphia (PHL) due to downed overhead wires. The estimated time for the tracks to be reopened is scheduled for 12 p.m. (EST). We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) December 22, 2024

Amtrak officials have said the service could resume earlier, but as of about 9 a.m. Amtrak service between New York City and Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station was still suspended.

Update: As of about 1:30 p.m., Amtrak officials said that they have “restored two of the four tracks to regular service between New York Penn Station (NYP) and Philadelphia 30th St William Gray Station (PHL), allowing train movement.”

However, officials wit Amtrak, in a statement, said trains operating on the available tracks are operating at reduced speeds.

“We are doing our best to move trains in time table order in hopes of minimizing delays. This incident has impacted trains operating from Washington Union Station (WAS) to Boston South Station (BOS). Customers traveling along the Northeast Corridor should expect delays of at least 30 minutes to 60 minutes. We will update you when the service is fully restored. We appreciate your patience,” officials said in a statement.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.