- Title: Amtrak CEO says riders had a 'good commute this morning' into Penn Station
- Date: 10th July 2017
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 10, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SIGN READING (English): 'INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL NY PENN STATION' (3 SHOTS) WIDE OF INTERIOR OF PENNSYLVANIA (PENN) STATION CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF AMTRAK, WICK MOORMAN, INSIDE PENN STATION (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMTRAK CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WICK MOORMAN, SAYING: "Well we've had a good commute this morning, and the reports that I've been following from the other agencies around the city and the environment, is that it's been a pretty good commute out there too. So it's the first morning of a long process, but right now we feel good." COMMUTERS PEOPLE PICKING UP BAGS AND WALKING AWAY VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING FOR THEIR TRAINS (4 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMTRAK CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WICK MOORMAN, SAYING: "The thing to remember about the work that's going on here is that it's a long period, we're accelerating a lot of work, and it is disruptive because there are platforms on the station that won't be available. But we all, together - MTA, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak - did an enormous amount of advanced planning. And all with the idea that, let people know in advance exactly what's happening, and they'll figure it out. They'll accommodate. The worst thing we want is what we were having before. And that is those unplanned disruptions where it just creates chaos and uncertainty." VARIOUS OF COMMUTERS (5 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF AMTRAK, WICK MOORMAN, SAYING: "It's early days yet, and I think that Penn Station at the best of times and certainly even now is totally at capacity. And there are all kinds of things that can happen that create disruptions, and the odds are that something will happen this summer on one day or another that will affect it. But by and large I think our planning has been such that we should have a reasonable summer here at Penn." ZOOM OUT TO COMMUTERS AT PENN STATION VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF PENN STATION (2 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 24th July 2017 19:57
- Keywords: New Jersey transit trains railroad commuters Penn Station PATH Wick Moorman Amtrak
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0016P4YXYD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman on Monday (July 10) said train riders "had a good commute this morning," despite a shutdown of several lines into the Manhattan commuting hub Pennsylvania Station for two months of major track repairs.
"It's the first morning of a long process, but right now we feel good," Moorman said.
"Odds are that something will happen this summer...but by and large I think our planning has been such that we should have a reasonable summer here at Penn," he continued.
Amtrak, which is undertaking the massive repair program, rents track and station space to NJ Transit and the MTA's LIRR. Each railroad has devised separate contingency plans to work around the repairs, including reduced fares and alternate routes into New York.
All three have canceled some routes into Penn Station, rerouted others and warned commuters to expect delays on remaining trains until all tracks are up and running again. The terminal serves 600,000 riders a day.
Delays at Penn Station have become routine after a series of derailments, highlighting the urgency of the track repairs. The most recent incident occurred on Thursday (July 6) evening when 180 people had to be rescued from a NJ Transit train that derailed as it emerged on the New York side of a tunnel under the Hudson River. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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