NJ Transit sees hour delays after overhead wire issues at Portal Bridge briefly suspends service

Friday is proving to be a headache for many commuters.

After service was suspended in both directions between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn early Friday morning, NJ Transit service is back — although limited and facing up to 60 minute delays.

The suspension is brought on by Amtrak overhead wire issues at the Portal Bridge, according to NJ Transit.

Riders with rail tickets and passes are being crossed honored by NJ Transit bus and the PATH at Newark Penn, Hoboken and 33rd Street.

In an interview with Today in New York, NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said he received a call at 4:45 a.m. that Amtrak discovered a catenary wire issue near the old Portal Bridge.

The news comes as NJ Transit underwent a month-long construction project involving a new Portal Bridge — and a day after Gov. Mikie Sherrill took a ride across the new Portal Bridge to celebrate how regular service is to start Monday morning after the project changed service schedules over the past few weeks.

The “cutover” project transformed the old Portal Bridge into the Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River as part of the Gateway Program.

The project is replacing the century-old Portal Bridge, built in 1910, over the Hackensack River into a higher bridge that will not have to open for river traffic. This original Portal Bridge has proven to be a headache for many commuters given that is has malfunctioned multiple times in the past, causing major delays.

“Amtrak has assured me, I talked to the president this morning, that they are fixing [the issue], but in the meantime, thank God, for the new bridge because we are running new service on the new bridge two days ahead of schedule,” Kolluri said, adding that the limited service running on Friday on the new bridge is because Amtrak is making repairs on the catenary pole involved in Friday’s commute headache.

“They will resolve it by today, but as the governor promised, the new bridge will resume service for the entire corridor Monday morning,” he said.

“It’s Friday the 13th. When things have to go wrong, they go wrong,” Kolluri said jokingly before turning serious: “Like I said before, I am so grateful we have this new bridge.”