Here is the chronology of issues tonight…as reported by the commuters.
These alerts are grouped by carrier (although we combined the buses which use Port Authority)…and then sorted by time (with the oldest listed first).
It is interesting to note that NJ Transit appears to have not shared any system-wide information throughout the entire incident (NEC riders did get news from NJT…but others did not).
| Service Provider | Route | Timestamp | Message (with clock time) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Ronkonkoma Branch | 2013-07-17 16:19:13 | Track changes at penn (04:19 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Ronkonkoma Branch | 2013-07-17 16:26:09 | 4:34 Babylon train cancelled. Track changes all over the place. (04:26 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Port Washington Branch | 2013-07-17 16:30:28 | 422 to port Washington on track 15 still in station at 430 (04:30 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Ronkonkoma Branch | 2013-07-17 16:30:29 | Amtrak track problem in east river tunnel. Track changes and cancellations. Check the boards (04:30 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Babylon Branch | 2013-07-17 16:38:06 | 437 listed trk 21 but no where in sight crowded platform (04:38 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Port Jefferson Branch | 2013-07-17 16:38:07 | 443 Penn to Great Neck cxl (04:38 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Port Jefferson Branch | 2013-07-17 16:39:07 | No far rock or Hempstead trains out of Penn go to Atlantic (04:39 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Port Jefferson Branch | 2013-07-17 16:48:12 | Delays and cancellations at NYP and track changes (04:48 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Port Jefferson Branch | 2013-07-17 17:00:53 | 449 Penn to pJ on time and extra hicks stop. Cops bringing out barricades (05:00 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Babylon Branch | 2013-07-17 17:02:05 | 452 babykon cancelled (05:02 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Ronkonkoma Branch | 2013-07-17 17:05:37 | 424 penn to ronk will be late at bethpage. Stopped and waited for 419 pt jeff train to cross in front, now crawling behind it (05:05 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Port Jefferson Branch | 2013-07-17 17:32:13 | Track changes at Penn Careful (05:32 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Babylon Branch | 2013-07-17 17:32:15 | Delays and cancellations across the board at penn due to tunnel out of service (05:32 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Port Washington Branch | 2013-07-17 17:43:12 | 529 now local to PW. Express trains likely getting cancelled (05:43 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Ronkonkoma Branch | 2013-07-17 17:59:17 | 5:53 is standing room only. Just left Penn “on time” (05:59 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Ronkonkoma Branch | 2013-07-17 18:06:20 | Complete caos at Penn – use Brooklyn or Hunterspoint stations Eastbound (06:06 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Ronkonkoma Branch | 2013-07-17 18:23:02 | Whoever said 553 is SRO there are plenty of seats in the back (06:23 PM) |
| Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) | Port Washington Branch | 2013-07-17 19:10:52 | 701 penn to port canx – now 714 local on track 15 (07:10 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 15:48:13 | Wire down at Linden (03:48 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 16:20:19 | NJT says all NEC trains subject to “indefinite delays” due to wire problems (04:20 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 16:22:07 | Correction: all Westbound (TTN trains) service subject to delay (04:22 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 16:54:11 | 431 exp nwk-ttn left on time. Moving slow nwk to linden, but moving thus far. Only 2 eastbound tracks being used so expect delays. (04:54 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Montclair-Boonton Line | 2013-07-17 17:05:28 | “Overhead power issues” at NYP. Penn Station NY is PACKED with people. (05:05 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Gladstone & Morristown Lines | 2013-07-17 17:18:04 | 5:19 still on standby (05:18 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 17:24:11 | 4:54 to JA left on time but crawling through Secaucus (05:24 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 17:27:03 | 5:17 TTN Express departing at 5:20pm (05:27 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 17:33:07 | WNBC-TV “Chopper 4” blames sagging power lines for NEC delays (05:33 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Main & Bergen County Lines | 2013-07-17 17:35:28 | 5:20 out of Hoboken being held at Secaucus (05:35 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 17:37:09 | NJT spokesman says all NEC service resumed; subject to delay up to 60 min (05:37 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Main & Bergen County Lines | 2013-07-17 17:43:11 | 5:20 train from Hoboken/5:30 from Secaucus now leaving Secaucus (05:43 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Gladstone & Morristown Lines | 2013-07-17 17:49:11 | 5:41 Stand By, 5:43 Stand By, 5:45 Cancelled 5:50 Standby (05:49 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 17:54:17 | 541 out nyp still standby at 553 (05:54 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | North Jersey Coast Line | 2013-07-17 17:55:33 | 5:43 to long branch just leaving newark. (05:55 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Gladstone & Morristown Lines | 2013-07-17 17:59:18 | 485 MTD Summit, Track 1 Long Branch, Track 2, MTD Dover (1st stop Mplwd) Track 11 (05:59 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 17:59:36 | 4:54 NYP to JA at Metro Park running 30 min late so far (05:59 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Montclair-Boonton Line | 2013-07-17 18:04:23 | Penn’s a zoo (06:04 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 18:04:37 | 485 5:01 from NYP crawling west of New Brun but moving. (06:04 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 18:10:29 | 9 of next 10 trains are delayed (06:10 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Montclair-Boonton Line | 2013-07-17 18:10:40 | No cross-honoring on PATH as of 5:45 pm (06:10 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Gladstone & Morristown Lines | 2013-07-17 18:16:00 | NY Penn Station totally packed. All Trains on Standby as of 6:15 (06:16 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Montclair-Boonton Line | 2013-07-17 18:18:11 | 6:08 leaving Penn Station NYC now 6:17 (06:18 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 18:22:05 | 5:54 now boarding (trk 11) (06:22 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | North Jersey Coast Line | 2013-07-17 18:23:04 | 6:17pm from NYP now on NYP Track 3 (06:23 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Main & Bergen County Lines | 2013-07-17 18:25:09 | Please ask conductors to hold 628 main line from sec. Train on way from Penn (06:25 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Gladstone & Morristown Lines | 2013-07-17 18:27:05 | NYP an absolute zoo. NE Corridor wire problems creating delays. (06:27 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Montclair-Boonton Line | 2013-07-17 18:37:03 | PATH and Hoboken are working just fine – no crowds or delays (at least as of the 6:27) (06:37 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Montclair-Boonton Line | 2013-07-17 18:42:04 | 6:41 from NY Penn to MSU on “Stand by” (06:42 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 18:44:13 | 6:37 departed NYPenn at 6:40. Not crowded. (06:44 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Montclair-Boonton Line | 2013-07-17 18:44:24 | 6:41 from NY Penn to MSU boarding (late) on track 7. (06:44 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Gladstone & Morristown Lines | 2013-07-17 18:56:02 | 649 MTD still not posted at 652 (06:56 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Montclair-Boonton Line | 2013-07-17 19:05:46 | 6:41 leaves penn at 6:52 (07:05 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Gladstone & Morristown Lines | 2013-07-17 19:09:09 | 6:51 Dover still in NYP at 6:54, no announcements (07:09 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | North Jersey Coast Line | 2013-07-17 19:12:04 | 6:44 traon to bayjeadat long branch. police activity. (07:12 PM) |
| NJ Transit Train (NJTT) | Northeast Corridor Line | 2013-07-17 19:14:13 | #3957 fr:NYPS to TTN was on time most of the way but sluggish approaching PJCT. Will be about 15mins late. (07:14 PM) |
| NJ Transit Bus (NJTB) | (167) Dumont – Harrington Park | 2013-07-17 16:39:05 | Q bus….actually all buses….sitting in front of the tunnel…no movement for 15 minutes. (04:39 PM) |
| NJ Transit Bus (NJTB) | (167) Dumont – Harrington Park | 2013-07-17 17:03:21 | [Message From Port Authority] The disabled vehicle has been removed from the North tube of the Lincoln Tunne. (05:03 PM) |
| DeCamp Bus Lines | 33 & 66 | 2013-07-17 17:46:02 | Limited AC and growing lines on the 4th floor of the PABT (05:46 PM) |
| DeCamp Bus Lines | 33 & 66 | 2013-07-17 17:51:03 | Gate 410 backed up to 404 at 5:50. Also no AC Ugh (05:51 PM) |
| DeCamp Bus Lines | 33 & 66 | 2013-07-17 18:03:21 | Long lines, NO AC and no DC buses. No lines for NJT. (06:03 PM) |
| DeCamp Bus Lines | 33 & 66 | 2013-07-17 18:34:03 | 6:10 #66 leaves at 6:32. Some congestion going into tunnel but moving. (06:34 PM) |
| DeCamp Bus Lines | 33 & 66 | 2013-07-17 18:50:23 | Trains no better; 6:41 just started boarding (06:50 PM) |