2. Any equipment that got stranded might be subject to water damage or worse salt water damage.

3.AMTRAK does not have any spare rolliing stock equipment that could fill in for damaged rolling stock especially with thanksgiving so close. The situation today is not like just after WW-2 when there was an abundant amount of spare equipment and the spare equipment could be put into service if some was damaged.

4. Evidently there is a lot of salt water damage to signals and switch machines on NJ transit  ( Hoboken per Oltmann ) and may be as well on AMTRAK. With all the rolling stock servicable AMTRAK and the commuter agencies can straight line most outlying CPs to maintain service and provide switch tenders around the major terminals.

5. Track and platform Flooding occurred at Trenton when Irene hit so a very vulnerable spot on the NEC.     

6. The few persons inconvienced by the shut down will be a minimum of what persons may not have been able to travel  ( thanksgiving & christmas ) if much rolling stock had been damaged.

7. Loss of ridership and revenue in the future must be considered.

8, I read elsewhere that north river tunnels have flood gates that cannot work. do you have any information ? If that is true the possibility that NYP tracks, platforms, esculators, etc which I understand are below sea level suddenly flooding and putting equipment and passengers in peril.