On the morning of Tuesday, September 10, 2024, commuters in New Jersey faced a travel disaster.
A series of accidents, a bus breakdown, and a sudden train power outage led to major delays for people trying to get into New York City.
The chaos left many frustrated and stuck in traffic for hours, creating a nightmare morning for anyone on the road or rails.
- Accidents in the Lincoln Tunnel, a broken-down bus, and crashes on Route 3 led to long delays, with some commuters stuck for up to four hours.
- A power outage halted NJ Transit and Amtrak trains, making the commute even worse.
- The United Nations General Assembly added street closures to the chaos, trapping commuters in traffic for hours.
Accidents in the Lincoln Tunnel Lead to Huge Delays
It all started early in the morning when a motorcycle accident inside the Lincoln Tunnel at around 3:50 a.m. caused the tunnel’s center tube to close.
This accident alone would have caused some delays, but things quickly went from bad to worse.
The tunnel’s north tube was also closed for construction, and just before 7 a.m., a NJ Transit bus broke down in the south tube.
With only one tube open, traffic came to a standstill, and the delays stretched for miles.
Some drivers were so fed up that they left their buses and walked out of the tunnel.
Meanwhile, outside the tunnel, accidents on Route 3 in East Rutherford added even more problems.
One car flipped over on the eastbound side, and a crash involving an ambulance blocked the westbound lanes.
By the time everything was sorted out, people faced delays of over two hours.
In some cases, what should have been a 25-minute trip to New York turned into a four-hour ordeal.
Rail Problems Add to the Nightmare
Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get worse, they did.
To help with the traffic jams, NJ Transit started diverting buses to Secaucus Junction, where passengers could switch to trains.
However, at around 9:45 a.m., an unrelated power outage hit the NJ Transit and Amtrak train lines, shutting down all trains heading into Penn Station in New York.
Although this power outage lasted only 30 minutes, it caused major delays.
Even after the power returned, it took an hour for train services to fully resume, leaving thousands of commuters stranded on packed platforms.
Some people switched to PATH trains heading to Hoboken or tried to catch a ferry across the Hudson River, but they found those options just as crowded.
UN Street Closures Create Even More Delays
As if the accidents and power issues weren’t enough, Tuesday marked the start of the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan.
Extensive street closures on the East Side created additional traffic jams throughout New York City.
Streets from East 34th Street to East 63rd Street along 1st Avenue, as well as portions of the FDR Drive, were shut down to accommodate security for world leaders attending the assembly.
Even after the Lincoln Tunnel fully reopened at 9:15 a.m., traffic was still moving slowly because of the closures.
Drivers who usually rely on the FDR Drive or 1st Avenue were stuck in gridlock, making an already frustrating morning even worse.
Timeline of the Morning’s Chaos
- 3:50 a.m.: A motorcycle crash in the Lincoln Tunnel’s center tube shuts down the tunnel.
- 5:30 a.m.: The NYPD briefly delays the tunnel’s north tube reopening due to a pursuit.
- 6:50 a.m.: A NJ Transit bus breaks down in the south tube, adding to the delays.
- 7:00 a.m.: Accidents on Route 3 in East Rutherford cause more traffic problems.
- 9:00 a.m.: NJ Transit reports 30-minute train delays due to congestion.
- 9:45 a.m.: A power outage halts all train services at Penn Station.
- 10:15 a.m.: Power is restored, but train delays continue for about an hour.
After hours of mounting frustration, commuters finally experienced a small sense of relief as services gradually started returning to normal.
However, the damage had already been done, with many travelers feeling drained, delayed, and overwhelmed by the morning’s chaos.
Despite the reopening of the Lincoln Tunnel and the resumption of train services, traffic across the city remained heavily congested due to the ongoing street closures for the United Nations General Assembly.
For countless individuals, it became one of the most grueling and exhausting travel experiences they could remember.
