A fire erupted on an Amtrak maintenance train near New York’s Penn Station early Friday morning, resulting in injuries to five individuals and causing significant disruptions for countless commuters traveling into midtown.
The two-alarm fire ignited around 1:30 a.m., prompting the FDNY to respond to reports of a blaze on an Amtrak work train car situated on track 11 within one of the Hudson River Tunnels, as confirmed by fire and NJ Transit authorities.
A total of 46 units and 141 firefighters were dispatched to tackle the inferno.
Two individuals with serious injuries were taken to Bellevue Hospital, while the other three declined medical attention, according to the FDNY.
All those affected were transit workers, an FDNY representative indicated to reporters, as cited by 1010WINS.
The fire also caused damage to the overhead wiring on track 11, leading to the suspension of services by New Jersey Transit and Long Island Railroad into the bustling Manhattan hub.
New Jersey Transit redirected its Midtown Direct service to Hoboken, where passengers holding rail tickets and passes will be transferred to private buses and PATH and taken to the 33rd Street station in NYC.
LIRR made partial suspensions to its service and redirected 11 of its lines from Penn Station to Grand Central, the agency announced.
Oyster Bay remains remain suspended.
All other lines are expected to face delays or cancellations. LIRR passengers can expect trains to be diverted to Grand Central or Long Island City.
Crews got the fire under control at 4:05 a.m., and an investigation into the cause is ongoing.
A timeline on when the service would be reopened was not revealed.
This is a developing story
