# NJT Train Derails Near Secaucus



## AlanB (Jul 14, 2003)

> Two cars of a 12-car New Jersey Transit commuter train jumped the tracks shortly before 8 a.m. Monday in a remote area of the New Jersey Meadowlands near the new Secaucus rail transfer station.


The full story can be found here on WCBS News Radio.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Jul 14, 2003)

Is Amtrak Trains to and from New York Penn Station are runing on the Northeast Corridor?


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## AlanB (Jul 14, 2003)

I haven't heard anything official yet. I'm sure that for at least a while all service was shut down as their were passengers standing on the roadbed. By now I would hope and expect that at least one track is back in service, but again I have no actual information.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Jul 14, 2003)

Hello give me the Update on the Amtrak and NJ Transit Trains on the Northeast Corridor please.  B)


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## Anthony (Jul 14, 2003)

I'm sure he will when he receives more info. Like you saw, he had mentioned that he didn't have any news yet


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## battalion51 (Jul 14, 2003)

I did a little status searching on the internet. A poll of Amtrak trains are running anywhere from 15minutes-1 hour late into Penn Station. NJT is running on modified schedules with modified regular service out of NYP and hourly service inbound. Cross-honoring on PATH is ocurring.


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## Viewliner (Jul 14, 2003)

This morning, 1010 wins said that around 10am the passengers were "rescued" and that around 11 am, Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains were running with delays between NY and NWK. MidTOWN Direct was anything but, running in to hoboken. Why did it have to be diverted. 8 passengers were injured, and last I heard, they were looking at the wheels as a possible problem.


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## Viewliner (Jul 14, 2003)

MidTOWN Direct is still running into/out of Hoboken.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Jul 14, 2003)

But Viewliner when the NJ Transit Midtown Direct Trains will be back to New York Penn Station soon?


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## Viewliner (Jul 14, 2003)

Amtrak Railfan said:


> But Viewliner when the NJ Transit Midtown Direct Trains will be back to New York Penn Station soon?


Possibly tommorow, NJT only can use 1 track right now.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Jul 14, 2003)

Where are the Cars of the Northeast Corridor was derailed today?


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## Anthony (Jul 14, 2003)

Amtrak Railfan said:


> Where are the Cars of the Northeast Corridor was derailed today?


"in a remote area of the New Jersey Meadowlands near the new Secaucus rail transfer station." per Alan's message


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## Viewliner (Jul 14, 2003)

Don't know the exact consist, but it was a train of Arrow III electric MU's. The rescue train was a Comet, Push-Pull consist.


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## AlanB (Jul 14, 2003)

Here's an updated news report on the incident in Secaucus.



> A New Jersey Transit commuter rail train lost a wheel Monday morning and two cars derailed, sending 12 passengers to hospitals and delaying thousands more on the busy corridor between Newark and New York.


You can view the full story from WCBS New Radio by clicking here.


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## Viewliner (Jul 14, 2003)

> On Tuesday, July 15, the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line will operate on modified regular schedules. See Service Adjustments for details. Cross-honoring on PATH; NJT and private buses.





> On Tuesday, July 15, MidTOWN DIRECT trains will operate to and from Hoboken on their regular schedules. Cross-honoring is in effect on PATH, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, and NY Waterway Ferry service.


Click Here for the NJ Transit Service advisory pages. I'd be pretty ticked off if I were a commuter who uses MidTOWN Direct. Actually I'm mad even though I'm not a commuter. :angry:


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## battalion51 (Jul 14, 2003)

For you I suggest Anger Management, consult the dude that Adam Sandler used.


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## Viewliner (Jul 14, 2003)

Thank You George Warrington. :unsure: :lol:


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## AlanB (Jul 14, 2003)

In keeping with the post Viewliner put up about NJT's morning service, the local TV news is also reporting the same info about NJT's schedule. They did however state that NJT would add some cars to certain trains and that trains that normally run express would make at least some local stops.

Also they mentioned that the track is not expected to be fully repaired until after the morning rush hour, so this will also impact Amtrak service into and out of Penn.

What's really sad about this though is that had the Secaucus Transfer been completed on schedule, this would not be the major problem that it currently is. From the looks of the site I saw from the News-Chopper camera, the RR is already at three tracks in the area where the train derailed. However that third track is not yet in use, since they were dragging there feet at completing the Transfer.

If they had finished the project on schedule (it was supposed to be finished this past spring), even though they didn't want to open the station till September, then normal service would be running tomorrow.

George Warrington strikes again and even though he no longer works for Amtrak, he's hurt them again too. Yes the transfer was delayed because of the WTC disaster, but NJT could have still finished the project on time and just waited till PATH was back in service at the WTC site, before they opened the station. But no we had to drag our feet on this project. :angry:


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## Amtrak Railfan (Jul 15, 2003)

Will 7 years ago a Train Derailment in Secaucus NJ hits 2 major Trains like a East Bound Amtrak Train derailed and its 12 Passagers Cars was derailed also on a Portal Bridge on the Hackensack River and two NJ Transit Trains collided is near a juncition was marshes on the Secaucus and Jersey City border during the Morning (AM) rush hour on Tuesday Feb 9 1996. This wreck was killed two engineers and a passager and 162 people was injured.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Jul 15, 2003)

Hello there the NJ Transit Rail line Midtown Direct will have Trains to and from New York Penn Station tomorrow! And all Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast line Trains are resumed regularly Train service to and from New York Penn Station.


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## Viewliner (Jul 15, 2003)

Amtrak Railfan said:


> Hello there the NJ Transit Rail line Midtown Direct will have Trains to and from New York Penn Station tomorrow! And all Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast line Trains are resumed regularly Train service to and from New York Penn Station.


I can confirm what you're saying. Why couldn't they have MidTOWN Direct Service now that there are two tracks open, yet NJCL and NEC trains?

I guess the best equation for this:

Warrington=Deferred Maintenece


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## battalion51 (Jul 15, 2003)

Well this is Amtrak territory we're talking about though, isn't it?


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## Viewliner (Jul 15, 2003)

battalion51 said:


> Well this is Amtrak territory we're talking about though, isn't it?


I meant on the Arrow III's, but yes this is the Amtrak NEC.


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## AlanB (Jul 15, 2003)

Viewliner said:


> Why couldn't they have MidTOWN Direct Service now that there are two tracks open, yet NJCL and NEC trains?


The reason is due to the fact that there are speed restrictions on the repaired track. Anytime you install new track there is a required speed restriction, I think its 15 MPH, for the first 24 hours or so.

With that speed restriction in place, they still can't get enough trains through the area fast enough to permit the increased number of trains that Midtown Direct would add. Plus you've got equipment and crews that are out of place, since they are sitting in Hoboken, instead of Penn Station or Sunnyside Yard where they normally would be.

Finally getting off Viewliner's question, I have to laugh at the local news reports being broadcast on 1010 WINS News Radio. They've been reporting this story for several hours and I've heard it several times while driving in my car today.

They keep talking about the fact that there were only two crewmembers on the train, not including the engineer. This train supposedly had 12 cars, which would mean that there should have been at least one more A/C if not two. However, and this is what I find funny since once again a reporter didn't do his homework, one of the complaints is that there were no crew members around to supervise the passengers. The reporter considers this to be a big dangerous problem as passengers climbed out of the derailed cars and onto the tracks. Since there was no one to supervise, the reporter concluded that this was a major life-threatening problem as those passengers were on the tracks next to a live third rail.

Now the last time I looked, there were no third rails on that line, much less a live one. All Amtrak and NJT trains use overhead catenary power. They don't and can't use third rail power, even if it did exist over there in Secaucus. Once again a reporter is getting people up in arms over a problem that never existed, simply because he didn't do his homework. :angry:

On the other hand, he also keeps blaming NJT for not fixing the tracks fast enough too. Apparently he hasn't figured out that Amtrak owns those tracks. So while he's giving a black eye to NJT, at least in his ignorance he's spared Amtrak a black eye.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Jul 15, 2003)

Can somebody show me a Photo of the NJ Transit Rail pass please?


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## AlanB (Jul 15, 2003)

Just to add to the concept of mis-reporting a story and perhaps even trying to sensationalize it, check out this story on the 1010 WINS News site.

They pulled out a picture from that fatal crash several years ago on the Bergen line. The train that derailed yesterday was a consist of MU's. The picture shows a heavily damaged NJT engine and a diesel one at that.

I guess the pictures of derailed, but upright cars weren't dramatic enough. So instead they dug into their archives to find something dramatic and scary, to make it appear like this was a disaster. :angry:


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## tp49 (Jul 16, 2003)

Alan,

Shows you that the reporter must be from Long Island or Westchester with his talk about third rail. :lol:


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## Amtrak Railfan (Jul 16, 2003)

Hello Good Morning Good News I got for everybody the NJ Transit's Midtown Direct Trains now have regularly Service to and from New York Penn Station and all Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast line trains are resumed regularly Train service.


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## AlanB (Jul 16, 2003)

Yes, that is good news for NJT riders. However everything is not rosey for Amtrak riders this morning, again. 

See my post from the Amtrak forum here for more details.


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## Viewliner (Jul 22, 2003)

Car was #1368, in which the wheel fell off. Customers holding monthly passes for July will receive 15% rebates.

Click Here for additional updates from NJ Transit.


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