Amtrak operations partially reopened between Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, after a brush fire halted service on Wednesday afternoon, causing delays of up to an hour, officials said.
The fire spread from about 5 miles east of the William H. Gray 30th Street Station in Philadelphia to a nearby scrapyard, Amtrak Corporate Communications said in an email.
“Emergency personnel are working to contain and extinguish” the flames, the email said.
Tracks “partially reopened” around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday after police lifted a hold on the tracks, according to Amtrak.
“Service has resumed, with residual delays expected,” the company said in its email.
It was not immediately clear if backups between the stations impacted services in other parts of the northeast corridor, but at least one train between Baltimore and Philadelphia had a 30-minute delay, according to the Amtrak online tracking system. Some riders on their way to New York from Philadelphia disembarked after hearing the news of major delays, while other stayed on and were offered free water and snacks.
On Wednesday afternoon, Amtrak also alerted that some trips going through Baltimore may experience delays due to the extreme heat.
Those temperature-related heat restrictions were supposed to last until 7 p.m. for several train operations in the Northeast. The restrictions are put in place whenever temperatures exceed 95 degrees.
Banner reporter Bria Overs contributed to this article.
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