Amtrak service disrupted after fire near tracks in New York City

NEW YORK -- Amtrak service in parts of the Northeast was disrupted or delayed Tuesday after a fire broke out near a train route in New York City.

Amtrak said initial reports indicated a brush fire stemming from a transformer at an Amtrak substation caused power losses for trains in the area, affecting travel.

Service was suspended for the day between New York Penn Station and New Haven, Connecticut. There also were delays between New York and Washington and between Boston and New Haven.

A spokesperson for the power utility Con Edison said the fire broke out along tracks in the Bronx at about 2:30 p.m. when Amtrak employees were working on a high-voltage feeder cable and a transformer. The fire spread to a nearby warehouse and to a Con Edison substation parking lot, damaging three cars, said utility spokesperson Philip O’Brien.

Trains approaching Penn Station in Manhattan were being moved out of the area at reduced speeds using diesel engines.

There was no estimate for when normal operations would resume.

Most of the East Coast has seen little rainfall since September, and dozens of wildfires are burning across the region. Experts say the fires will persist until significant precipitation or frosts occur.