Train Troubles Again Strand Northeast CommutersBy Samantha Henry
Associated Press Financial Wire
WASHINGTON, DC - In a snag all too familiar to commuters in a rail-dependent region, Amtrak and regional transit agencies halted trains throughout the Northeast for more than an hour at the height of the morning rush Tuesday because of power problems that apparently began in the Washington area.
Isolated events substation failures, even a single downed tree have repeatedly stopped the entire Northeast Corridor, a railroad network that is called on to move tens of thousands of people daily through the nation's densest population centers.
Amtrak said low-voltage troubles forced it to suspend service between New York City and Washington, and between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., starting at 7:45 a.m. Power was restored around 9 a.m.
The exact cause wasn't immediately known, but Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero said the problem was more widespread than usual. Amtrak was focusing its investigation on the area between Washington and Perryville, Md., Romero said. .........(more)
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