(The Newark Star-Ledger posted the following article by Judy Lucas on its website on May 22.)
NEWARK, N.J. — A tanker truck carrying hazardous material got wedged in an underpass near the Northeast Corridor tracks in Elizabeth yesterday, causing up to a two-hour delay of Amtrak and NJ Transit trains.Hundreds of afternoon passengers had to wait aboard their trains bound for Washington, D.C., and Boston while investigators inspected the area near the tracks on North Avenue, authorities said.
The interruption of service started after the truck — carrying sodium hydroxide, used in paper manufacturing and for removing acidic contaminants — hit the rail bridge about 2:30 p.m.
Amtrak officials inspected the bridge and determined there was no structural damage, said spokesman Dan Stessel.But Elizabeth police put a hold on train traffic from 3:18 to 4:40 p.m. while it investigated whether there was any leakage of the caustic soda.
Passengers had to wait for clearance at Newark Penn Station and Elizabeth’s Elmora Station, Stessel said.Ten Amtrak and Acela trains were affected by the delay, said Stessel. By 6 p.m., the trains were back on schedule, Stessel said.
“The passengers who were at the beginning of the hold had the longest wait,” Stessel said, but they were patient. “Unfortunately, these things happen.”NJ Transit experienced disruption on two of its busiest lines, the Northeast Corridor and the North Jersey Coast Line, said spokesman Ken Miller.
“Obviously this was occurring right at the beginning of the evening rush hour, so that one incident, which was out of our control, unfortunately had a ripple effect that impacted thousands of customers,” Miller said.
The accident affected several dozen trains, Miller said. Customers were able to use their rail passes on NJ Transit buses and Academy Bus Service.
Earlier passengers experienced more than an hour delay while passengers traveling after 4:45 p.m. took the next available train, Miller said.