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Penn Station was partially evacuated during rush hour Thursday night as authorities investigated a “suspicious package” that turned out to be a false alarm.
New Jersey Transit’s Seventh Avenue concourse was cleared after the brief scare that was called in around 5:45 p.m. for a package on 31st Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues, officials said.
Some NJ transit trains were cancelled, officials said, creating confusion and frustration among commuters.
After roughly an hour, the NYPD and Amtrak police ruled that there was no threat and gave the all clear, according to a NJ transit spokesperson.
Commuters hoping to avoid the mayhem were asked to use the Eight Avenue entrance for now, though the situation was described as “fluid and changing.”
Several police cars and FDNY engines were spotted along the street, with officers blocking commuters from gaining entrance to its entrances.
NJ transit riders took to social media to vent about the travel headache.
“all trains in and out of Penn Station are cancelled due to the ENTIRE station evacuated for a threat but you still have zero updates letting anyone know, par for the course, right?” one commuter publicly moaned, along with a screenshot of the train schedules indicating they were running normally.
“How insane is it that you have zero posts about what is going on at Penn Station. What the heck?” another said.
MTA lines, including the Long Island RailRoad, have not been affected by the threat and are running as usual, a representative said.
Amtrak is taking the lead on the case, though a representative could not immediately provide any details on the suspicious package.
