NJ Transit, Amtrak service delayed after the drilled train

Hundreds of Amtrak runners found themselves stuck in a Hudson River tunnel Friday night when the roof of a NJ Transit train was pierced by a pole and hit by falling cables.

Another train bound for New Jersey struck a metal object west of the north tube of the tunnel and was decommissioned, according to NJ Transit spokeswoman Lisa Torbic.

It is not known if the metal debris was related to the falling wires or what made them fall. Torbic said the incident was "an ongoing investigation".

About 1,000 passengers on both trains were transferred to rescue trains. EMS treated a female passenger for back pain, Torbic said.

Runners from NJ Transit and Amtrak were facing delays of 30 minutes or more beginning Saturday morning as a result of the accident.

"A window was broken and part of the top of the train was punctured," said passenger Beckie Bintrim, who was on the first disabled NJ Transit train from Secaucus to Penn Station. A pole pierced the roof of the two-car train behind her, Bintrim told The Post.

"We saw a group of sparks through the window and then loud noises, more sparks," Bintrim said. "Then, when the car was punctured, we knew something was wrong and we moved to the other side of the train. At that time, I thought that the train was going to derail and that we were all scared.

The train stopped and the passengers could see smoke outside the cars. Electricity also went out and a backup generator turned on the lights, Bintrim added.

Bintrim said he waited about an hour before taking an emergency train that took him with other passengers to Penn Station.

NJ Transit trains to and from Penn Station were initially suspended Saturday morning "due to Amtrak's overhead cable problems," tweeted the agency.

The power was restored on a lane at Penn Station and trains began running around 8:30 am, Amtrak said Saturday. A second track was still out of order.

PATH allows passengers with train tickets and NJ Transit tickets to travel free to Newark, World Trade Center, Hoboken and Journal Square stations. NJ Transit buses and private bus carriers also honor tickets, Torbic said.