‘Summer of Hell’ ends; work rolls on
Full service on the New York City region’s rail lines has resumed at Penn Station after two months of construction.
Dubbed the “Summer of Hell,” Amtrak wrapped up the extensive track repair project Thursday. Predictions were dire as officials warned the project could create a bottleneck at the nation’s busiest rail hub.
Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road trains resumed normal schedules Tuesday. Although regular service has returned, Amtrak said other delays may be around the corner.
The railroad said it has more work to do, which will take place on nights and weekends. It needs to replace more rails, ties, bridges and tunnels, many of which are more than a century old.
“As we mark the conclusion of this intense two-month work period, we must remind everyone that much more work remains, and that rebuilding our infrastructure is a continuous process,” Wick Moorman, Amtrak’s co-CEO, said in a statement.
Amtrak is only beginning to address a backlog of projects along its busy Northeast Corridor that runs into the tens of billions of dollars.
Amtrak’s chief engineer, Gery Williams, noted that workers installed the equivalent of the length of six football fields of new track in the complex maze below Penn Station to replace what was worn out.