September 28, 2004
Tunnel Fire Snarls Evening Rush at Penn Station
An electrical fire in an East River rain tunnel yesterday led to massive delays for 100,000 passengers. Amtrak, LIRR, and NJT were all affected. The fire began in the early afternoon, and normal service did not return to normal until 8 pm.
According to the Times, "The fire occurred in a tunnel used by westbound Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains, one of four tunnels under the East River. New Jersey Transit uses the tunnel to ferry trains back and forth to Penn Station from a train yard in Queens, while Amtrak uses it for its Northeast Corridor trains." The smoke backed pretty far up the tunnels, though, and the initial call to FDNY came because the NYU Medical Center (32nd and First) was filling up with smoke. Eventually, 150 firefighters were involved in putting out the fire.
Passengers affected by the delay had mixed responses. One NJT rider said he was used to such problems, because he's from India, but a woman waiting for the LIRR was irate. "It's disgusting. There's no organization. You don't know how to get through once your train arrives. You don't know which track is which or how to get there," she said.
The Times has a picture of a National Guardsman assisting police in guarding the area and redirecting passengers. I wonder if the fire activated any kind of anti-terrorism planning that created a protocol for an event like this.
categories:
Fire,
Subway
posted by adm at September 28, 2004 6:20 AM
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