On May 25, 2006, an Amtrak power failure shut down train service along the Northeast Corridor, stranding thousands of commuters from New York to Washington. The outage began around 8 a.m. and lasted over two hours, halting Amtrak and commuter lines in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Some passengers were trapped in tunnels or forced to walk to stations. The cause was traced to an equipment failure in Amtrak’s aging electrical system, which still ran on a 25-cycle standard. In response, Amtrak stationed rescue locomotives near the Hudson tunnels and placed technicians on duty during rush hours to prevent future disruptions.
