Passenger Trains > NJ Transit derail at Woodbridge, major disruption

NJ.com and NJ Transit report a late night derailment at Woodbridge (just west of Rahway on the North Jersey Coast line)  has shut down service for more than 12 hours. Train 3292, inbound to Penn Station NY, derailed after midnight. A bus shuttle to MetroPark (NEC line) has been established.  It doesn't appear there were injuries to any crew or passengers.  There were seven passengers and crew aboard.

This must be quite a mess, it would seem 12+ hours is a lot for a derailment with cars remaining upright.

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In the "old days" there was a good, and regularly used alternative.  The New York & Long Branch trains operated by Jersey Central diverged at Perth Amboy and headed up their own line to Elizabethport, and the Jersey City to NY ferries or to Newark Broad Street. NY&LB trains operated by Pennsylvania Railroad went up to Rahway, passing through Woodbridge.  The Jersey Central Route is now Conrail's Garden State secondary. The Elizabethport transfer, bridge to Bayonne, Jersey City ferries, and CNJ Broad Street station are long gone.

https://www.nj.com/middlesex/2020/11/nj-transit-train-derailment-suspends-north-jersey-coast-line-no-injuries-reported.html

https://www.njtransit.com/


 

>
> In the "old days" there was a good, and regularly
> used alternative.  The New York & Long Branch
> trains operated by Jersey Central diverged at
> Perth Amboy and headed up their own line to
> Elizabethport, and the Jersey City to NY ferries
> or to Newark Broad Street. NY&LB trains operated
> by Pennsylvania Railroad went up to Rahway,
> passing through Woodbridge.  The Jersey Central
> Route is now Conrail's Garden State secondary. The
> Elizabethport transfer, bridge to Bayonne, Jersey
> City ferries, and CNJ Broad Street station are
> long gone.
>
>
> https://www.njtransit.com/
>
Considering that this is maybe the 2nd derailment on the short stretch of ex PRR track from Perth Amboy to Rahway, in the last 53 years, not much incentive to maintain a bypass.  Especialy with traffic being off due to covid, a bus bridge is seems reasonable.   If it were rush hour pre-covid, it would be a challenge to bus bridge the packed 11 car rush hour trains.....
>  

ALP-46 4625 pulling 8 cars.  Not sure how many derailed.
Andy

Looks like broken rail, broken wheel, or picked switch,    Im guessing days needed for cleanup due catenary.  This is just south of the rte 440 overcrossing.

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pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like broken rail, broken wheel, or picked
> switch, 


Nope!  It's just another case of the train "jumped the track", which is the normal technical term in the news media.

Same stretch of track that the Broker derailed on the shoe fly over the NJ turnpike in 1951 killing 80+ people.

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