Rail service resuming after blizzard

Written by Douglas John Bowen
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Most of the Northeast’s passenger rail systems intentionally shut down late on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, in anticipation of what was expected to be a severe winter storm. But by the following afternoon, service was being gradually restored as the storm subsided and its effects proved not as severe as was feared.

SEPTA officials in Philadelphia said the authority’s subway service kept running throughout Monday night despite the winter storm hammering the Northeast. Both the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines ran all night, SEPTA said.

That contrasted sharply with agencies further north, including New Jersey Transit, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Boston’s MBTA, and PATH, all of which shut down regional rail, light rail, rapid transit, and bus systems, bracing for anticipated severe blizzard conditions.

MTA and NJ Transit began restoring service Tuesday morning, aiming for weekend or holiday frequencies, after snow and wind conditions proved less severe than many expected. PATH also resumed service on a weekend schedule Tuesday at around noon. All the agencies said they hoped to restore normal weekday service levels by Wednesday.

PATCO service, linking Philadelphia with the city’s New Jersey suburbs, also resumed limited service Tuesday on a modified snow schedule.

Amtrak maintained Northeast Corridor service throughout Monday and into Tuesday between New York and Washington, cancelling NEC service between New York and Boston and Empire Corridor service linking New York and Albany, N.Y. Other trains serving New England states were annulled, as the blizzard did deliver a stronger punch there.

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