Amtrak issues impacting holiday travelers around tri-state ahead of Christmas

ByPERRY RUSSOM

Monday, December 23, 2024 11:28PM

Amtrak delays hamper travel plans for passengers in the northeast

Perry Russom has the latest on Amtrak delays for passengers in the northeast.

LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- As the holiday travel continues for last minute commuters, those taking Amtrak were stricken with several cancellations and delays on Monday.

Amtrak says their signal power issues have been fixed, but due to crew constraints all trains down the Northeast Corridor.

In total 15 trains were cancelled as a result.

"I'm feeling a little frustrated," said Brooklyn's Iman Hariri-Kia.

Hariri-Kia was just one of many stuck at Moynihan Train Hall that's been stuck as Amtrak's signal power issues have wreaked havoc on trains trying to get in and out of the city. It all started yesterday after downed wires delayed trips.

"We got in late late night and my phone was ringing at 6 a.m. this morning," added Kevin Fulmer, of Baltimore. "I thought 'who's calling me at 6am?' It was Amtrak saying our train was canceled."

Traveler Dan Calhoun had two trains cancelled in the last two days. Calhoun was put on another train on Monday, but that one has also been delayed multiple times.

"Not long, but three different times by a couple minutes each time," he said.

New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. ripped Amtrak's meltdown, calling it an "unmitigated disaster."

"Amtrak has received historic federal investments to improve service reliability, and yet these failures continue," Pallone acknowledged.

Pallone says he wants a plan for how Amtrak is going to pay people back who have been affected by the cancellations and delays. He is also asking for a timeline for when the transit organization plans to fix underlying infrastructure issues.

Amtrak reps in a statement in part said, "Unfortunately, there is no estimate for the resume of standard operating service. We will provide additional details as they become available. We appreciate your patience as we work on these issues and attempt to resume regular service."