PATCO Trains Now Running After Outage Upends Travel For South Jersey Commuters

PATCO service has resumed after a power outage halted trains for several hours and upended morning commutes for thousands of South Jerseyans on Wednesday.

Trains have started running in both directions, PATCO announced around 10:30 a.m. — a few hours after the power went out.

A power surge caused a failure at PATCO's Westmont Substation around 7:40 a.m., blowing several fuses, according to the rail service. Trains were suspended in both directions as a result.

Train service resumed around 10:30 a.m., once crews from PATCO and PSE&G fixed the issue.

PATCO links several destinations throughout Philadelphia and Camden County. About 34,000 people ride it each day, including South Jersey residents who work in the city.

NJ Transit cross-honored PATCO tickets on its existing bus routes and operated two special shuttles that stopped at all PATCO stations during the outage. But PATCO warned of possible delays for the buses because of their limited space and capacity.

FREEDOM Card users will automatically receive fare refunds. Those who don't see the refund within 48 to 72 hours should call the FREEDOM Card Service Center at 877-373-6777.

Paper ticket users can request a replacement ticket.

"At stations, you’ll find request forms, envelopes and a drop box to place your unused or partially used ticket in," PATCO said in an advisory. "A replacement paper ticket will be mailed to you and must be used within 60 days."