Back on Track

Amtrak says Northeast service is restored after NY-Boston cancellations

New Yorkers and Bostonians aren't known for being chummy, but the 190 miles that separate them are a fairway for one of the busiest daily commutes in the world. That integral part of the Northeast Corridor had no high-speed rail service overnight Wednesday, due to electrical outages on Amtrak's Acela line connecting the two cities.

"Amtrak services operating between New York (NYP) and New Haven (NHV) are canceled for the remainder of the evening due to a loss of overhead power," said an official alert from the trackrunners, marked 7:00 PM EST on Wednesday, February 11. "Customers traveling between New York (NYP) and Boston (BOS) may rebook for another day using our Fare Protect feature, which allows customers to change their ticket at no additional charge or request a full refund. Customers traveling from New Haven (NHV) to New York (NYP) and beyond may have their tickets honored on Metro-North services operating between New Haven and Grand Central Terminal."

The alert continued by noting that crews were assessing the issue and working toward a resolution--a resolution that came only a few hours later.

"Service Resumption: Service between New York (NYP) and Boston (BOS) has been fully restored," Amtrak posted on X at 12:23 AM EST early Thursday morning. "Residual delays are anticipated as we return to regular operations. We appreciate your patience and understanding."

Amtrak's overhead power lines work by using a catenary system to deliver electricity to its electric locomotives. The system operates at 25 kV alternating current with a frequency of 60 Hz, which is the standard frequency in North America. This high voltage is crucial for powering the electric motors that propel the trains. The power is delivered through overhead wires, which are suspended above the tracks, and the trains receive the power via a pantograph mounted on their roofs. The pantograph makes contact with the overhead wire, drawing the necessary power as the train moves.

Even with the restored operations, a number of trains were cancelled this morning because of "equipment unavailability," according to multiple reports. These included southbound Acelas 2109 (an 8 a.m. train from New York to Washington), 2159 (a 9:10 a.m. departure from Boston for Washington), and 2171 (a 3:10 departure from Boston to Washington). Northbound cancellations included Acelas  2150 (Washington to Boston, departing at 4:54 a.m.), 2166 (Washington to Boston, departing at 12:55 p.m.), and 2124 (Washington to New York, departing at 6:30 p.m.)