Amtrak temporarily halted all train service between New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon as firefighters battled two fires near the tracks in North Philadelphia.
Amtrak Northeast announced the shutdown in a post on X, saying a “Temporary Hold” was in effect due to a large fire in the area of the tracks.
“Emergency personnel are working to contain and extinguish a brush fire located approx. five miles east of Gray 30th Street Station in Philadelphia (PHL), which has also spread to a nearby scrapyard,” a spokesperson for Amtrak told Newsweek in an email Wednesday.
Emergency responders are on scene, and rail operations cannot resume until the fire is contained and the infrastructure is inspected for heat or structural damage.
A Philadelphia Fire Department spokesperson told CBS that there were at least two fires, with more than 100 firefighters responding to the scenes.
The New York–Philadelphia segment is one of the busiest stretches of the Northeast Corridor, carrying tens of thousands of passengers daily.
A full service hold can quickly ripple across the entire East Coast rail network, delaying trains as far south as Washington and as far north as Boston.
Passengers already on trains may experience extended delays, while those at stations are being advised to monitor alerts and expect cancellations or significant schedule changes.
Amtrak said service will resume only after fire crews give clearance and engineers confirm the tracks, overhead wires and signal systems are safe.
The railroad is expected to issue rolling updates throughout the afternoon as conditions evolve. Travelers are urged to check the Amtrak app or website for real‑time status before heading to stations.
Newsweek reached out to Amtrak by email Wednesday for more information.
This a breaking news story. Updates to come.
