After two derailments at Pennsylvania Station in New York, Amtrak officials are considering closing tracks at the station for an extended period to make long-term repairs — a drastic move that would cause huge disruptions for tens of thousands of commuters, according to officials who were briefed on the plans.

Officials at Amtrak, which owns and operates Penn Station, say the infrastructure at the terminal has become so brittle that it urgently needs an overhaul. The closings would probably prompt extensive delays and route changes for two of the nation’s largest railroads, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road, which rely on Penn Station.

A decision to upend the lives of so many riders would follow years of failures to invest adequately in aging infrastructure even as ridership boomed in the busiest region of rail travel in the country, and it would be a break from Amtrak’s traditional strategy of trying to minimize disruptions.

Amtrak leaders have discussed closing several tracks at Penn Station for days or weeks at a time in the coming months, according to officials who were briefed on the discussions but did not want to talk publicly about the plan. Weekday track closings would undoubtedly lead to misery, but officials said Amtrak would try to minimize the inconvenience.