For the third time this week, overhead wires caused problems for New Jersey Transit riders Thursday morning and the agency is sorry.

An electronic sign on I-195 warns of NJ Transit delays
An electronic sign on I-195 warns of NJ Transit delays (Thomas G. Farrell, Jr., Townsquare Media NJ)
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Service was suspended on the Northeast Corridor, the North Jersey Coast Line and other lines heading into New York but was restored with 60 to 90-minute delays. The Morris and Essex lines were diverted to the Midtown Direct from Hoboken

"We had an issue in the south tube of the Hudson River Tunnel earlier this morning and had to single track using the north tube, prioritizing eastbound traffic," explained Amtrak spokeman Criag Schulz in an email. "We had previously lost power to both tubes of the tunnel, some station tracks and portions of Sunnyside Yard but that was rectified and the problem isolated to the south tube."

The Sunnyside Yard in New York is used to turn around trains back to New Jersey after they arrive at Penn Station.

NJ Transit quickly implemented cross-honoring of tickets with buses and PATH trains to help commuters get around the delays. The transit agency did not cross-honor on Wednesday and did not return phone calls or emails to explain their decision.

NJ Transit tweeted its frustration on Wednesday afternoon about this week's problems. "The quality of your commute during the last several days has been unacceptable, and we share in your frustration," tweeted the agency. "We have been in contact with Amtrak at the highest levels, seeking solutions. Again, our apologies."

Commuters earlier took to social media to express their frustration at another day of delays.

"Does the 9 percent increase in fares also include a 9 percent increase in delays," tweeted @beckwoodworth, referencing fare increases that go into effect in October. "Oy vey - Another horrific NJ Transit delay caused by Amtrak. I had to take PATH to work," tweeted @BruceS8852

"It is incredulous the frequency of delays this week alone," said New Jersey Traffic North's Bob Williams. "I can understand the frustrations of thousands of NJ Transit commuters."

State legislators also weighed in on the mass transit issues.

"You can’t pay more for worse service, or I guess you can, but you shouldn’t have to," said state Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Red Bank). "Raising fares and providing worse service is unacceptable. Clearly, commuters are angry, and they have every right to be angry...I do know NJ Transit does have a capital plan. There are $61 million in improvements that are going to happen."

"It’s a fair point for commuters to question fare hikes and service reductions, and now they have major delays," said Assembly Speaker Vinnie Prieto (D-Secaucus). "NJ Transit is the tenant on the Northeast Corridor; Amtrak is the owner. We want to make sure that since NJ Transit does pay a lot of money to use Amtrak’s equipment, that there is proper investment in that infrastructure to find out what these problems are, because this is unacceptable."

Kevin McArdle contributed to this report.

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