Amtrak substation fire in the Bronx causes service disruptions, expected to resume by 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Amtrak service between New York City and New Haven, Conn., was temporarily suspended due to a fire in the Bronx that caused a power outage for trains in the area. The disruption occurred just before the evening rush hour on Tuesday. Amtrak announced that normal operations were expected to resume by 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Passengers were advised to take Metro-North trains with their Amtrak tickets being honored during the service interruption.
The cause of the power outage was reported as a brush fire east of Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, which was connected to a transformer at an Amtrak substation. The fire started as Amtrak employees were working on a high-voltage feeder cable at a substation in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, near a Con Edison substation. The flames spread to a Con Edison parking lot, damaging a few employees’ cars. No Con Edison customers were affected by the incident.
The Fire Department responded to two fires in the Bronx simultaneously, one at the Amtrak substation and another at a large warehouse in the same area. Investigations were initiated to determine the cause of the fires and to establish if they were related. The dry and windy conditions in the region have led to an increase in fires, with dead leaves acting as fuel and gusty winds exacerbating the situation. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the New York City metropolitan region, signaling a high risk of fire due to strong winds, low humidity, and dry fuels.
Source: The NY Times
