By Yepoka Yeebo, Mariel S. Clark and Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Staff
MANHATTAN — Commuters experienced massive delays at Penn Station during the Monday evening rush after a minor NJ Transit train derailment wreaked havoc on train service.
A New Jersey-bound train had a "slow-speed derailment" prior to entering the tunnel at Penn Station Monday morning, NJ Transit said in a statement. The cause was under investigation. The incident not only caused delays on NJ Transit, but also on Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak.
At one point LIRR service was backed up 30 minutes, according to the MTA. NJ Transit warned riders to brace for "significant delays and crowding" along the New Jersey Coast Line and Northeast Corridor lines during the afternoon and evening rush. Amtrak service also faced delays.
A NJ Transit spokesman said that repairs would continue into the late evening and possibly early morning, but they expected service to be back to normal with no delays in time for the morning commute.
Many straphangers trying to get home took the wait in stride.
"What are you gonna do?" said Masie Lords, 32, who was waiting for a train to Washington. "I don't mind, I can't really do anything about it."
Others weren't so zen-like.
"It stinks," said John Padivano, 45, who was trying to get back to Montclair, N.J., with his 6-month-old daughter. "We really try to keep a schedule. And I wouldn't be so frustrated if they hadn't raised fares 25 percent recently. But I guess this was a derailment, but there are still plenty of delays."
Shuttle buses were set up in the afternoon to take people to Grand Central Terminal to find alternate routes out of the city. The MTA suggested riders catch the LIRR from Brooklyn and Jamaica, Queens.
Earlier in the day, a New Jersey-bound NJ Transit train had a "slow-speed derailment" prior to entering the tunnel at Penn Station Monday morning, NJ Transit said in a statement. The cause was under investigation.
No injuries were reported.
"It was really ridiculous," said Afolake Adekahulsi, who was held in a train for more than an hour then had to wait two hours for another train due to the derailment.
All Midtown Direct trains were rerouted to Hoboken instead and NJ Transit combine trains to reduce the number running between New York and New Jersey, according to an agency spokesperson.
Passengers traveling to New Jersey from Penn Station were being sent to private buses or PATH trains at 32nd and Sixth Avenue. Both were honoring NJ Transit tickets.
