HARRISON, N.J. — A supervisor directed a crowded commuter train to back up over an open switch, causing it to derail and creating massive delays Thursday morning for thousands of rail passengers between Morris County and New York, a wire service reported.
The eight-car train from Dover was carrying about 900 passengers when the engine and front wheels of the car behind it jumped the tracks at about 7:30 a.m. The cars remained upright and there were no injuries, but the accident forced suspension of service on the Midtown Direct line.
The accident occurred after the engineer noticed that the train was traveling on a track that would have taken it into Hoboken instead of New York, said NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett.
He stopped the train and called the dispatch center to ask for instructions. A supervisor directed the engineer to back up to align the train with the proper track. The engine and lead car derailed when they crossed the open switch.
NJ Transit officials said a preliminary investigation attributed the derailment to human error.
“NJ Transit takes this incident very seriously, and we are dealing with this in a swift manner,” said the agency’s executive director, George Warrington. “It is important to emphasize that all of the safety systems were working and in place, and if the final determination is human error, we will take any and all appropriate actions immediately.”
Cranes placed the coach car back on the rails at 12:08 p.m., and the engine was righted at 1:35 p.m. Both were taken to a maintenance yard for inspection.
Service was expected to be back to normal for the evening rush hour, Bassett Hackett said. The first outbound Midtown Direct train after the accident left New York at 3:18 p.m., and the first inbound train left Dover at 3:02 p.m.
Passengers aboard the train that derailed were transferred onto another one at about 9 a.m. and taken to NJ Transit’s Hoboken Terminal, where they could take PATH or ferry service to Manhattan.
Delays of more than an hour were reported on the Morris and Essex lines in and out of Hoboken. NJ Transit and Lakeland buses honored rail tickets in an effort to get commuters to their destinations.
By midmorning, one track was available for inbound and outbound service. Three tracks are used on a typical weekday morning.
Amtrak service and New York-bound service on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line were unaffected.
But that was small comfort for those left stranded in the morning.
“It’s jamming me up real bad,” said Leslie Bradbury of Newark, who was at Newark’s Broad Street Station trying in vain to get to work in Summit. “I depend on this train to get me there quick, but now I’m stuck.”
Lureen Clermont was also trying to get to East Orange. She had just completed a night shift at a Morristown hospital and was now late for her second job.
“I’ve been sitting here for almost two hours now,” she said. “I can’t wait another hour here. I’ve got to try to find a bus or something.”
Pierre Gaines of Newark was two hours late for his job in Manhattan, but said he didn’t mind the delay.
“It’s better to be late here on a platform than to have been on a train that derailed. I’m blessed to come here late. I look at this a safety issue. As long as I get there in one piece. It’s a good day,” he said.