An early morning fire on an Amtrak work train in the West Side Rail Yard near Penn Station injured five workers and shut down rail service through one of New York’s busiest transit corridors Friday. The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on track 11 just west of Penn Station, and crews did not get it under control until 4:05 a.m.
Authorities said two of the workers suffered serious injuries from smoke inhalation, while three others refused medical attention. The FDNY said 46 units and 141 personnel responded to the blaze after reports came in of an Amtrak work train car on fire in one of the Hudson River Tunnels.
Michael Barvels, a fire official at the scene, said firefighters had to use an emergency exit at 10th Avenue and West 32nd Street to reach the fire because going through Penn Station itself would have made the hose stretch far more difficult. He described heavy smoke, high heat and multiple hazards underground, including tripping hazards and electrical dangers.
The disruption spread quickly through a station that serves Amtrak, NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road. LIRR service resumed around 5:45 a.m., but Amtrak expected service to remain suspended until noon, and NJ Transit redirected Midtown Direct trains to Hoboken. Amtrak said all service traveling south of New York was temporarily suspended after what it called unforeseen track and signal maintenance resulting from the now extinguished fire.
Overhead wiring was damaged along track 11, a detail that helps explain why the shutdown lasted into the morning rush and why at least eight Amtrak trains bound for or leaving New York were canceled Friday. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
The scene left a familiar transit hub operating in pieces: one rail line restarting before dawn, another rerouted, and Amtrak still trying to restore service after a fire that started deep in the tunnel complex and spread far enough to halt trains for hours.
