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The drama surrounding Penn Station entered a new chapter this week. On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie issued a joint letter to the CEO of Amtrak and the executive director of the Federal Railroad Administration, which called for a complete review of Amtrak's practices and protocols at the rail hub.
The letter came a week after an NJ Transit train derailed at Penn on April 3, which caused extensive delays throughout the week. That derailment came less than two weeks after a March 24 incident in which an Amtrak train leaving the station derailed and collied with an NJ Transit train. Last week, it was revealed that a few pieces of wood sitting beneath the tracks at the station caused the most recent derailment.
"As the primary users of Penn Station via the Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit, New York and New Jersey are requesting independent verification of track safety at Penn Station," the letter said. "Specifically, this comprehensive review should take into account the causes of recent failures at Penn Station and any needed changes to the processes by which routine maintenance and emergency repairs are performed."
Amtrak owns and operates Penn Station, and leases tracks there to NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road. The station is a travel hub for more than 600,000 daily commuters, and a majority of those rides are on trains operated by NJ Transit and LIRR. Last week, Amtrak launched an investigation into the causes of the incidents.
Before the pair of recent derailments took place, the Federal Railroad Administration had already launched a separate investigation into the aging track infrastructure at Penn. Given the letter, it's unclear what the governors hope to achieve by launching an investigation into track safety at Penn Station other than an invitation "to participate in the assessment and in the development of the needed response."
Governor Cuomo's press office did not respond to a request for comment by the time this story was published.