John T. Hanson, CEO of the DRPA and President of PATCO, issued the following statement on today’s PATCO service disruptions:
“At approximately 5:29 a.m., a PATCO train traveling Eastbound near the Ferry Avenue Station, struck an electrical conduit that was hanging in close proximity to the track. Our initial investigation indicates that an electrical pole was struck by a Conrail train on an adjacent track and that the conduit – which had been attached to the pole – fell as a result. Upon impact, the PATCO train operator activated the emergency braking system, as required by our standard operating procedure. The train rapidly decelerated and came to a stop. The contact between the train and the electrical conduit resulted in some sparking, which has led to the incorrect belief that a fire resulted from the impact. The train was carrying 23 passengers, eight of whom were PATCO employees. Four riders suffered minor injuries as a result of the abrupt deceleration.
“Initially, service was terminated across the entire PATCO line as our crews assessed the situation. Soon after, we resumed extremely limited service (one train with 4 cars) between Broadway and 15th/16th & Locust Street Stations.
“Our crews remain on-site determining the best way to resume operations, and we are hopeful that we will resume limited service this afternoon, with trains running every 18 minutes beginning westbound from Lindenwold Station at 3:54 p.m., and eastbound from 15th/16th Street Station at or around 4:41 p.m.. As repairs continue, we also anticipate that tomorrow’s rush hour schedule will be impacted, with trains running less frequently. Visit our website at www.ridepatco.org or follow us on Twitter at @RidePATCO for updated schedule information.
We apologize for the significant inconvenience this has caused our customers. As always, our first and foremost concern is the safety of our riders.”
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