WASHINGTON — Signs of electrical arcing were found at the site of a fire that injured 19 people on a New York-bound Port Authority Trans-Hudson train on Aug. 4, 2025, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report released today (Aug. 27, 2025).
The incident occurred about 6:18 a.m. and involved train No. 609 as it departed Newport station in Jersey City, N.J. As the train departed the station, the conductor observed flames beneath the train and notified the operator to stop; passengers were evacuated to the station platform and first responders extinguished the fire. NTSB investigators later found signs of electrical arcing where the conductor saw the fire.
Of the almost 200 passengers on board, 15 suffered minor injuries; four PATH employees were also injured and treated and released from the hospital. [See “Nine hospitalized after PATH train fire,” Trains.com, Aug. 4, 2025.] Damage was estimated at $143,495.
On-scene work by investigators included examination of the track, third rail, and other infrastructure at the site; review of video of the platform and track area; review of voice recordings of calls reporting the fire; and employee interviews. The ongoing investigation will focus on PATH’s adherence to policies relating to fire suppression; the overall condition of PATH system infrastructure; PATH proposals for inspection and maintenance of the infrastructure; and PATH oversite of contractor work on its system.
It is the second preliminary NTSB report in as many days regarding a transit fire and electrical arcing. On Tuesday, the agency released its report on a fire on a Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail train [see “NTSB releases preliminary report …,” Trains.com, Aug. 26, 2025].
