(Bloomberg News circulated the following article by Chris Dolmetsch on December 15.)
NEW YORK — Trains operating between New York City and Trenton, New Jersey, were delayed as much as an hour this evening after an Amtrak fiber-optic phone line failed, cutting off communications to trains, signals and switches.
Amtrak said its trains in New York City and New Jersey were slowed by as much as an hour by the failure, with delays expected to last as long as three hours. New Jersey Transit said its trains between New York, Long Branch and Trenton were also delayed as much as an hour in both directions.
“The trains are moving, there’s no danger to the trains or anything,” Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said in an interview. “They are communicating with dispatchers via cell phones. There will be delays because of the problems, we just don’t know what the delays will be.”
Amtrak crews were working to fix the problem, the railroad said in a statement. New Jersey Transit and PATH trains were cross-honoring tickets between Newark and New York City, New Jersey Transit said.