A surveillance camera at Hoboken showed water rushing into the PATH system. (Photo via @PANYNJ)
PATH trains may be out for as much as 7-10 days, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced at a press conference this morning. Noting that the system sustained “serious damage,” Christie explained that with salt water in the system, crews will have to drain, inspect and repair the PATH system.
Additionally, Christie said, there is “major damage on each and every one of New Jersey’s rail lines” and “large section of track were washed out.”The New Jersey governor anticipates that New Jersey Transit trains will be offline for a few days as well as the system sustained a lot of damage but thinks those trains may be back sooner than PATH. As always, I’ll update as news develops.
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Update (3:02 p.m.): As more news has emerged from New Jersey, the situation for New Jersey Transit sounds dire. As the agency tweeted earlier today, “Early inspections this morning reveal that Sandy has devastated NJTransit’s operation & infrastructure.” Service will not returning any time soon.
Kate Hinds from Transportation Nation had more from NJ Transit officials. An agency spokesperson said the network had been “quite damaged, if not crippled.” “This is unprecedented damage,” Nancy Snyder said. Hoboken, Secaucus and Newark Penn Station were still underwater, and New Jersey Coast Line bridges had sustained serious damage as well. There is currently no timeline for the resumption of service.
New Jersey Transit’s Hoboken Terminal was flooded earlier today. (Photo via @NJ_Transit)
2 comments
Unfortunately, there is probably a good case for building an entirely new rail line from the Palisades to well past Newark — one which is more resistant to flooding, either through a waterproofed deep tunnel, or through a high, heavily built bridge. Those sections of rail line crossing the bays between Newark and the Palisades are a severe weak point.
those are some pictures.