Train stalls at Penn – so does rescue

THE SO FAR, so good Summer of Hell at Penn Station hit a major road bump Saturday when two trains lost power, stranding more than 700 riders — and one of the rescue trains sent to help also stalled.

Amtrak authorities said electrical issues with overhead wires were to blame for the latest woes at the beleaguered transit hub.

The trouble began when a train from Miami carrying 165 people stalled as it entered Penn Station about 11:50 a.m. A rescue train sent to tow that train into the station proved no help when it was stopped in its tracks by the same electrical problems.

“This seems to be an electrical issue,” an Amtrak spokesman said. “The train became disabled just west of the station.”

When the first rescue train couldn’t reach the stalled train, a second locomotive was sent in and towed everyone to safety after about two hours.

The electrical problems sparked delays of up to 30 minutes for commuters on NJ Transit.

Amtrak travel between New York and New Jersey was briefly suspended, but had resumed on Amtrak rails by 1:15 p.m.

But then an NJ Transit train lost power at Penn Station about 4:45 p.m. and became stuck between the platform and the tunnel. Some 600 people were stuck inside without air conditioning.

After 20 minutes, a rescue train successfully brought the train back to the station, where passengers safely disembarked, an Amtrak spokesman said.

Commuters have been bracing for a horrible summer after Amtrak and the MTA announced a massive rehab of tracks and switching stations, resulting in big service cuts at Penn Station.

The project began on Monday and is expected to continue through September, although commuters said the first work week of the project went mostly smoothly.

Saturday’s malfunctions had nothing to do with the rehab project, officials said.