Amtrak service temporarily disrupted between Philadelphia and Connecticut by fire, power outage

The Amtrak service between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New Haven, Connecticut, was temporarily disrupted on Thursday, after a local brush fire and heat issues caused a power outage in one of its circuit breakers, the rail service said.

More than 265 million people were affected by scorching temperatures above 90-degrees Fahrenheit in the Northeast on Thursday, prompting extreme heat warnings, according to CBS News. High temperatures are known to cause electrical issues such as power outages, caused by circuits getting overheated. 

A spokesperson for Amtrak said a fire in New Jersey, and an issue with a circuit breaker were behind the hours-long delay.

"The issues are a brush fire in Secaucus, N.J., and a malfunctioning circuit breaker resulting in a loss of power on the tracks between New York and Newark Penn stations," the spokesperson said.

The rail service resumed its operations by 5:30 p.m. Eastern, after power from the circuit breaker was restored. But the fire caused a delay until 6 p.m. Eastern for trains in and out of New York City. Although the trains in and out of Penn Station have also resumed, they are subject to an hour and a half delay, according to the outlet.

"Service Update: As of 5:30 PM ET, power has been restored, and all rail service has resumed between New Haven (NHV) and Philadelphia (PHL)," Amtrak Northeast posted to X. "Significant delays are anticipated due to rail congestion and single-tracking."

Amtrak also warned that the heat could cause trains to operate at a lower speed than normal, which would also lead to longer delays. Some trains were additionally cancelled over the delays, but riders were accommodated on other trains.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.