New Jersey Power Outage Disrupts Commutes via Amtrak
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy slammed Amtrak for a power outage that disrupted Amtrak and NJ Transit services for hours, calling it an "unmitigated disaster." The outage suspended service between New York City and Philadelphia during Wednesday's evening rush hour when overhead wires fell on the tracks in Kearny.
Thousands of commuters were left stranded. Some were stuck at New York Penn Station for hours, while others were trapped on trains for over three hours. This disruption led to a domino effect, causing delays and cancellations that reached as far as Washington, D.C.
Service resumed on a single track after more than four hours, but the chaos continued. Christie Frazer from Westfield mentioned how her husband struggled to get home late at night. Governor Murphy highlighted that this was Amtrak's third infrastructure failure in two days and emphasized the need for immediate and long-term investments in infrastructure and emergency plans.
Amtrak declined to comment, but delays persisted on Thursday. NJ Transit also warned of more cancellations and delays due to crew and equipment issues stemming from the wire problem.
Why This Matters:
Infrastructure issues like this can cause massive disruptions, affecting your supply chain and delivery schedules. Understanding and anticipating these challenges can help you prepare and adapt, minimizing the impact on your operations and customers.
Our Take:
Infrastructure reliability is crucial. This incident highlights the importance of investing in robust infrastructure and having solid contingency plans. With aging infrastructure causing repeated failures, it's clear that proactive maintenance and modernization are essential. Keep an eye on how these issues are addressed, as it can impact your logistics strategies and overall efficiency.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy slammed Amtrak for a power outage that disrupted Amtrak and NJ Transit services for hours, calling it an "unmitigated disaster."