In the afternoon of Wednesday, February 25th, PATCO had to suspend service between Broadway and Ferry Avenue Stations. This is because PSE&G was working on a gas main at 10th and Newtown Avenue and accidentally ruptured it. To avoid the potential of “arcing” from sparks from the third rail, they advised PATCO to shut down service.
Twenty-two shuttle buses were provided by New Jersey Transit. However, these buses would prove to be no match for the PATCO rush hour crowds from Philadelphia. Although this shutdown lasted from noon to rush hour, service was restored by the end of the day.
News story here: http://www.ridepatco.org/content.asp?page=News¶m=2&publication=19&pubnumber=752
Railroad.net thread (with a picture of the chaos at Walter Rand Transportation Center): http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=59657