Amtrak pleased with week one of Penn Station track work

NEW YORK — During a conference call, Amtrak's Chief Operations Officer Scot Naparstek called week one of the summer-long track work and corresponding schedule cutbacks for commuters at Penn Station a success, ABC News reports.

Crews are replacing aging equipment, such as signals and several thousand feet of track, over a two-month period. Amtrak, which owns and operates the station, had been performing the work on nights and weekends and planned to complete it in a few years, but two derailments and other problems this spring persuaded it to step up the pace.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who predicted a "summer of hell" for commuters after plans for the repairs were announced, praised the advance planning and said "the reports are all good." Meanwhile, Naparstek said the work was even proceeding a little ahead of schedule, but stopped short of predicting it could be finished before Labor Day as projected. For the full story, click here.