NEWARK — NJ Transit commuters were dealing with overcrowded trains and changes in schedule as the system operated on a holiday schedule Tuesday morning.

Spokesman Jim Smith said "there have been some crowded conditions" on board many Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains as a result of the limited number of trains running, but the system been running on or close to schedule.

Cross honoring will continue between NJ Transit rail, light rail, buses, private carrier bus, NY Waterway and PATH at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street. One snag developed when PATH service was temporarily suspended between Hoboken and 33rd Street due to a "track condition."

NJ Transit said "track constraints" on track 9 at New York Penn Station after Monday morning's "slow speed derailment" are to blame for forcing a holiday schedule. Amtrak and the Long Island Railroad are also experiencing delays as they also use that platform.

Smith said NJ Transit would announce later in the day any change to the schedule for Tuesday afternoon's commute.

Amtrak spokesman Mike Tolbert said the three passenger cars involved in the derailment were "re-railed," and put back on the tracks overnight, and were scheduled to be removed from the station on Tuesday morning.

"Great care is taken limit any damage in the re-railing process and safety is our primary concern," Tolbert said.

"I have no reports of damage to the platform, but there is some track damage ,but we're still assessing that," Tolbert said, adding there are a lot of tracks and switches that need to be checked by engineers for Amtrak, which maintains and operates the stations.

The Federal Railroad Administration is leading the investigation.

Twelve-hundred passengers and crew were on board the train, which derailed just before 9 a.m., iinjuring five people on board, according to NJ Transit.

The 7:24 a.m. train inbound to New York arrived on time at the Hamilton station and appeared full but not overly crowded with seating available for those getting on. It was closer to New York as trains made additional stops when problems developed.

NJ Transit riders took to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction and frustration with Tuesday morning's service.

"'Colorful descriptions' best describes the emotions that NJ Transit riders expressed Tuesday morning on Twitter," New Jersey Fast Traffic's Bob Williams said, "especially those at Hoboken, Metropark and New York Penn Station."

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

More from New Jersey 101.5

 

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM