(Bloomberg News circulated the following story by Vivek Shankar on April 23.)
NEW YORK — Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains passing through New Brunswick, New Jersey, were running behind schedule today because of five brush fires, delaying commuters on their way home from New York.
Trains on New Jersey Transit’s Northeast Corridor line are delayed by 15 to 20 minutes, the third-biggest U.S. commuter railroad said in an e-mailed statement. Amtrak trains are running 40 minutes late, spokesman Cliff Cole said in a telephone interview.
Service was suspended around 4:30 p.m. local time after a fire started in New Brunswick. Trains were running again by 5 p.m., New Jersey Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said in an e-mail.
“All fires in the immediate area of the tracks have been extinguished,” Stessel said.
Amtrak trains connecting New York with Philadelphia and Washington pass through New Brunswick.