It took nearly two hours for cars to get through the Lincoln Tunnel after a motorcycle accident at 4 a.m. A stalled bus blocked another tube and a third tube was closed for repairs. The backups stretched for miles in every direction. It was so bad, some riders actually gave up and fled their buses in disgust.
New Jersey Transit started diverting buses to Secaucus, so riders could board trains. And that's when an entirely unrelated power outage coincidentally shut down their rail lines into and out of Penn Station.
Shortly before 10 a.m., all rail service into Penn Station New York was suspended due to a "brief power outage" from its substation in the North Bergen area, according to Amtrak. Earlier reports blamed the outage on overhead wires in the tunnel, but that was not the case.
Power was restored about a half-hour later, but the delays just added to a morning of discontent for commuters.
Commuting nightmare in New Jersey following accidents, train problems
It all unfolded after multiple accidents at the Lincoln Tunnel earlier in the morning triggered major delays on the highways leading into New York City.
Outside the tunnel, lanes were out in both directions of Route 3 in East Rutherford. A car overturned off the eastbound lanes, while westbound lanes were closed by an accident involving an ambulance.
At one point delays were estimated to be more than 120 minutes to get into New York City, but one driver said it took him four hours to get into the city from Wayne, New Jersey, when it usually only takes him 25 minutes.
Video showed commuters jumping out of buses and dangerously crossing a roadway in Secaucus as traffic heading into the tunnel built up.
NJ Transit cross-honored bus tickets as a result of traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel. Buses were rerouted to Secaucus Junction and Newark Penn Station.
Riders, forced to abandon their rush hour trains poured out onto the platforms then piled into the terminal. Thousands of rail commuters-and bus commuters-in one place, were left to find another way to Manhattan.
Some took trains headed to the PATH station in Hoboken. Others, who raced to the Hudson River ferry docks, had long waits.
But no matter how commuters tried to cross the Hudson River on Tuesday morning, it was wrong.
"It was very much standing room only and the whole train-everyone-was packed," one commuter said.
"I'm probably gonna turn around and go home, if I'm being honest. Because it's going on an hour and a half and there's eight billion people trying to get on this train," another commuter said.
Timeline of events
3:50 a.m., Motorcycle crash westbound inside Lincoln Tunnel center tube -- north tube was already closed for construction.
5:30 a.m. NYPD had a pursuit into the north tube of the Lincoln tunnel that briefly delayed reopening.
6:15 a.m., Port Authority concludes north tube construction early.
6:50 a.m. An NJ Transit bus traveling through the south tube became disabled but was quickly towed out of the tunnel in less than 10 minutes.
7 a.m., Accidents on Route 3 in eastbound and westbound lanes in East Rutherford also cause delays.
9 a.m. NJ Transit 30 minute rail delays due to congestion.
9:45 a.m. NJ Transit and Amtrak suspend trains into Penn Station New York due to unrelated power outage.
10:15 a.m. Amtrak restores power, NJ Transit and Amtrak trains resume rail service with 60 minute delays.
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