(The Associated Press circulated the following article on June 4.)
KEARNY, N.J. — A circuit breaker designed to prevent fires like the one on a heavily traveled railroad bridge last month was improperly installed, Amtrak officials said.
Overhead power lines came down on May 12, sending more than 12,000 volts of electricity into the Portal Bridge for more than 12 seconds, starting a fire. The bridge, which spans the Hackensack River between Secaucus and Kearny, was not structurally damaged, but signals telling trains whether it is safe to go forward were.
Train traffic on the heavily traveled route between New York and New Jersey was backed up for almost 10 hours.
Amtrak said a new circuit breaker installed the month before the fire should have prevented the power surge. But it said the crew that installed the breaker failed to make the proper electrical connections.