NEW JERSEY — Multiple wildfires broke out in New Jersey Wednesday afternoon causing major headaches for Amtrak and NJ Transit passengers going in and out of New York City as multiple lines suspended service for hours as result of flames and smoke.
A wildfire in Edison appeared to be precariously close to vehicles and train tracks. A Middlesex County official said the flames were started by sparks from a freight train. Images from our 47 helicopter showed firefighters battling the flames that spread about two hundred meters just a few meters from the train tracks. Most of the fire was put out by 5:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, another fire broke out in Matawan, consuming old train tracks near Park Avenue and Orchard Street, according to the state’s forest fire service. The flames engulfed an old railroad trestle in a wooded area, according to officials and images from our 47 helicopter and were mostly extinguished by 5 p.m.
The fires forced Amtrak to suspend all service between Penn Station in New York and Philadelphia just before 5 p.m., freezing all service in Central Jersey. The service remained suspended until 6 pm, and several trains were canceled or their final destinations changed.
Trains finally started moving once more after 7pm, albeit at “restricted speeds” after hours of delays. Operations were said to have returned to normal in the area after 8pm, though trains were dealing with hours of delay.
As for NJ Transit, Northeast Corridor Line rail service was suspended for a short time, but resumed with limited service between NY Penn Station and Metropark after 5 p.m. Not fully resumed until after 8 p.m. pm, although with significant delays in both directions between NY Penn Station and Trenton.
The transit agency suggested that those traveling to stations between Metuchen and Trenton look for other transportation options, adding that they could use North Jersey Shore Line service between New York and Rahway.
The Morris and Essex, Montclair Boonton (Mid-town Direct) and North Jersey Coast Line continue to operate, according to NJ Transit. Tickets and rail passes are being accepted by PATH at Newark Penn Station and 33rd Street, the agency said.
Our sister network NBC New York confirmed that Conrail owned the sparking freight trains that started the wildfires near Edison. It was a regularly scheduled freight train headed between Metuchen and New Brunswick carrying construction and demolition debris.
The 13-car Conrail train was being pulled by a diesel locomotive (which did not use the overhead catenary system that powers Amtrak and NJ Transit trains at the NEC). The carriage immediately behind the locomotive caught what the company called a “hot coal spark” from the exhaust stack.
Carolina Ardila updates us from Manhattan.
