Fatal Amtrak Palmetto train strike delays, detours NJ Transit commuters

An Amtrak train bound for Georgia hit and killed a person on the tracks near Secaucus Junction shortly before 7 a.m. Friday, temporarily halting NJ Transit service between Newark and New York Penn Station and detouring many trains to Hoboken.

Officials have not confirmed the person was killed, but the body could be seen still on the tracks at about 8 a.m., about 100 yards from the platform.

NJ Transit service resumed at about 7:15 a.m., but has 30-minute delays. Amtrak is also experiencing delays. Midtown Direct trains are schedule to begin resuming service into Penn Station New York at 10:25 a.m. PATH will accept rail tickets at Newark Penn, Hoboken and 33rd Street until 11 a.m.

NJ Transit bus and private carriers are accepting NJ Transit rail tickets and passes for the remainder of the service day.

Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll confirmed that someone was on the tracks near the train station and was hit by a train headed from New York City to Savannah, Georgia.

NJ Transit police guarded the Morristown and Montclair-Booton entrances at Secaucus, preventing commuters from entering. None of the 135 passengers were injured nor were any of the crew members. The tracks have been partially reopened since the incident and the Amtrak Police Department is working with New Jersey Transit Police to investigate.

NJ Transit said Midtown Direct trains are being diverted to Hoboken and that PATH is accepting NJ Transit tickets and passes at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street. NJ Transit bus and private carriers are accepting NJ Transit rail tickets and passes.

Zach Binder, 25 was commuting from Sparta into New York Penn Station for his construction job.

“I’ve been coming here since everywhere else is delayed,” Binder said at the Secaucus Junction waiting area. “I drive here. It’s a pain.”

Binder said the delays from the passenger strike will make him late to work.

“They expect you to get to work on time,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do. I’ll just head to Hoboken.”

For Tony Leonardo, 51, of Lyndhurst, the delays meant he was stranded.

"I don’t know what to do," he said after being stranded by delays. "I’m just going to hook up my computer and take calls."

Leonardo said he typically takes a train that leaves before 7 a.m.

“I never get stuck,” he said. “I do it so I don’t get delayed.”

"This is an opportunity to remind the public about the importance of exercising caution around railroad tracks and crossings," Toll said. "Amtrak continues to work closely with Operation Lifesaver to communicate the dangers of grade crossings."

Each year, about 2,000 people are killed or injured in grade crossing and trespassing incidents nationwide, according to Toll.

Check back for this developing story.

Email: kanzler@northjersey.com

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