Penn Station Repairs Will Take Most of July, August

Amtrak will reduce train service into New York City’s Pennsylvania Station during July and August as it completes repairs and upgrades, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

More than 200,000 people take the train into Penn Station every weekday using the Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit, and both companies have blasted Amtrak for poor infrastructure and maintenance. Last month, an NJ Transit train derailed and knocked eight tracks out of commission.

"Amtrak needs to step up to the plate," Steven Santoro, NJ Transit's executive director, told the New York Daily News. "They need to take the state of good repair of the Northeast Corridor seriously. It is Amtrak’s responsibility."

Stephen Gardner, Amtrak's executive vice president for planning, technology and public affairs, told the WSJ that the company plans to close several tracks at a time over the course of a three-week period in July and for more than three weeks in August to fix the rails and the system of switches that move trains through the station.

• Amtrak Considers Closing Penn Station for Repairs
• Another Train Derails at New York's Penn Station, 1 Injured