New Jersey

NJ Transit Line to Resume Regular Service After Freight Derailment

What to Know

  • A CSX freight train derailed in Union, New Jersey, while en route to Selkirk, New York, on Friday afternoon
  • New Jersey Transit suspended service along the Raritan Valley line between Newark Penn Station and Cranford and Raritan and High Bridge
  • The transit agency said regular weekday service will resume Monday but that one train in the morning is canceled

New Jersey Transit’s Raritan Valley Line will resume regular weekday service Monday, three days after a freight train derailment suspended service on the busy line.

The transit agency says riders may experience delays of 15 minutes in both directions due to a speed restriction through the area following Friday’s derailment in Union Township.

To reduce congestion on the line, the 8:32 a.m. train from Plainfield will not operate Monday, NJ Transit said, adding riders should take the 9:05 a.m. from Plainfield instead.

The transit agency said Conrail, a service provider for CSX Corporation, was able to complete repairs over the weekend in time for the Monday morning commute.

A 140-car freight train derailed Friday afternoon as it was heading upstate, leaving rail cars strewn across the tracks. Fire Chief Michael Scanio said the tracks suffered "severe damage" but that the train cars were empty according to the engineer's manifest, and there were no injuries.

Overhead images showed at least a dozen rail cars off the tracks or lying on their sides.

People were evacuated from nearby homes and businesses, Scanio said, but were being allowed to return to their homes by late afternoon after hazmat teams cleared the accident scene.

The tracks affected by the derailment are owned by Conrail and are also used by NJ Transit, which suspended service on its Raritan Valley Line as damage to the tracks was assessed.

The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.

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