Greg Toppo

USA TODAY

Transit police in New York on Sunday temporarily evacuated a commuter train station beneath the World Trade Center following reports of a suspicious package.

New York media reported that police, on heightened alert for the July 4 holiday, evacuated the center’s Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train station just before 3 p.m. ET. Police told a reporter with the New York Daily News that it “could be hours” before the station reopened. Employees were allowed to return to the station less than two hours later.

One security guard told passersby that there was a suspicious package found inside and that dogs were inspecting the area, the Daily News reported.

CBS News reported that an unattended package at the PATH station prompted the evacuation. Citing unnamed sources, CBS said Port Authority K-9 officers received a “positive hit” in a PATH rail car at the World Trade Center station.

CBS reported that employees were allowed to return to the station shortly before 4:30 p.m.

The PATH system tweeted that rail service into and out of the World Trade Center was suspended. The PATH train connects New York to several cities in New Jersey.

Police also evacuated a shopping mall with restaurants that is attached to the station. The $3.9 billion Oculus structure opened last August, connecting PATH trains and New York City subways.

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