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Panel to question rail officials on Penn Station track work

FILE - In this July 10, 2017 file photo, Amtrak workers repair tracks in New York's Penn Station. Amtrak has begun extensive repairs Monday to tracks and signals in Penn Station, which it owns and operates. Monday morning's rush got off to a slow start without any apparent problems. Some New Jersey Transit trains have been canceled this week during the summer-long repair work at Penn Station, because engineers are exercising contract rights that allow them to take two days to report for work when schedule changes are made. Several trains were canceled Monday, July 17, on the North Jersey Coast Line and Northeast Corridor line. An early morning North Jersey Coast Line train was canceled Tuesday, NJ Transit said. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) FILE - In this July 10, 2017 file photo, Amtrak workers repair tracks in New York's Penn Station. Amtrak has begun extensive repairs Monday to tracks and signals in Penn Station, which it owns and operates. Monday morning's rush got off to a slow start without any apparent problems. Some New Jersey Transit trains have been canceled this week during the summer-long repair work at Penn Station, because engineers are exercising contract rights that allow them to take two days to report for work when schedule changes are made. Several trains were canceled Monday, July 17, on the North Jersey Coast Line and Northeast Corridor line. An early morning North Jersey Coast Line train was canceled Tuesday, NJ Transit said. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

By Associated Press July 19, 2017 1 min read

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – New Jersey lawmakers are holding their first oversight hearing since the “summer of hell” track work at New York City’s Penn Station got underway.

The Democrat-led Senate oversight committee is meeting on Wednesday with Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, PATH and New York Waterway officials about the progress of the work.

The meeting comes during the second week of extensive repairs at Penn Station, the nation’s busiest train station, that already have affected train service for hundreds of thousands of commuters.

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (KWOH’-moh) had said it would be a “summer of hell,” but now says early reports have been good.

Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie criticized Cuomo’s earlier comments, but also says the first week went well.