Aging Portal Bridge stuck again: NJ Transit service restored

🚅 The Portal Bridge was unable to close after marine traffic passed underneath

🚅 Northeast Corridor service in/out of NYC was restored around 1 p.m.

🚅 A sledgehammer may be needed to fix the problem

The 105-year-old Portal Bridge was stuck Thursday morning, causing NJ Transit service to be suspended in and out of New York Penn Station.

NJ Transit first reported delays related to the opening just after 10 a.m. Service on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Montclair-Boonton, Morris and Essex and the Main-Bergen County line was suspended around 11:20 a.m. because the bridge was stuck in the up position.

Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said there was a bridge opening at 10:30 a.m. for marine traffic. After the vessel cleared, it was unable to close.

The bridge was brought back down and locked into position around 12:30 p.m.  NJ Transit restored service around 1 p.m.

Bridge can open during specific hours

The Portal Bridge is not permitted to open between 5 and 10 a.m. and 3 and 8 p.m. as a result of policy implemented in 2019 by the U.S. Coast Guard after intervention by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

Workers are often forced to knock the tracks that run along the bridge back into place using a sledgehammer.

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