The Latest: Christie asks lawmakers for Amtrak hearings

NEW YORK – The Latest on a train derailment in New York’s Penn Station (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is urging the state’s congressional representatives to hold hearings about recent derailments involving New Jersey commuter trains.

Christie sent letters Thursday to Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, Republican Representatives Rodney Frelinghuysen and Frank LoBiondo and Democratic Rep. Albio Sires. He says they should call for congressional hearings to “hold Amtrak accountable.

The Republican governor says in a separate letter that he directed New Jersey Transit to withhold funds until an independent inspection verifies that Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is in a state of good repair.

Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman says he understands Christie is frustrated but added that withholding money “is not going to solve any of the problems.”

Full rail service at Penn Station is expected to be restored Friday morning, four days after Monday’s derailment.

Moorman says a separate derailment in March was caused by a misaligned track.

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12:15 p.m.

Amtrak’s CEO says that a train derailment in New York that has caused major delays for commuters at the nation’s busiest rail hub was caused when a track split after the train went over a weakened wooden railroad tie.

Speaking Thursday, Wick Moorman says that full service will be restored at New York’s Penn Station by Friday morning. He says workers are finishing repairs that followed two derailments within two weeks.

Moorman says that the condition of the ties was noted during a previous inspection, but it was determined that it wasn’t in danger of imminent failure.

Moorman says an Amtrak train derailed at Penn Station in March because the track was misaligned.

Rail service has been cut back since Monday morning’s derailment took out eight of 21 tracks maintained by Amtrak.

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11:55 a.m.

Amtrak’s CEO says full rail service will be restored at New York’s Penn Station by Friday morning.

Speaking Thursday, Wick Moorman says workers are finishing repairs that followed two derailments within two weeks. The repairs have caused major delays for commuters at the nation’s busiest rail hub.

Moorman says the April 3 derailment was caused when a New Jersey Transit train went over a wooden crosstie under the track that was apparently weakened and the track split.

He says an Amtrak train derailed in March because the track was misaligned.

Rail service has been cut back since Monday morning’s derailment took out eight of 21 tracks maintained by Amtrak. The Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit have been operating on abbreviated schedules since Monday’s derailment.