Amtrak, the national passenger railroad, accepted responsibility for a faulty track support that caused a New Jersey Transit train to derail in New York City on April 3, leading to major delays this week for commuters in the U.S. Northeast. “We got it wrong,” Wick Moorman, president and chief executive officer of Amtrak, told reporters Thursday at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. “We were aware we had some issues in that area but we felt we had maintained it in proper order.” Moorman’s mea culpa came a day after Governor Chris Christie said he was withholding payments to Amtrak, owner of the tracks used by New Jersey Transit, after two derailments in as many weeks. “I understand why the governor is upset and he has a right to be upset,” Moorman said. “Withdrawing funding is not going to solve any of the problems.” The first incident was March 24, when an Amtrak Acela train with about 250 people aboard derailed at a slow speed and sideswiped a New Jersey Transit train, causing minor injuries. The cause appeared to be a mismatch of two rail pieces, Moorman said. The derailment this week was traced to rotted wooden timbers that support the track. The area had been inspected recently and the issue detected, Moorman said. “We had notations that these timbers needed to be replaced,” Moorman said. “We clearly did not have an understanding that there was an imminent failure but we did have that location identified, with others, and we knew at some point this year in our maintenance program we would be getting to it.” Friday Commute Full commuter and regional rail service, running on modified schedules and subject to delays of an hour or more, is expected to resume on Friday, he said. The railroad had completed a joint track inspection with Federal Railroad Administration officials and will share the findings with staff of New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road, which also uses the station, the busiest in North America. “Amtrak has responsibility for what happened,” Moorman said. “We disappointed our customers and we take responsibility for that. “ In an April 5 letter to Amtrak leaders, Christie says he directed New Jersey Transit to cease payments until Amtrak examines its equipment. Brian Murray, a spokesman for Christie, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Amtrak’s findings and Moorman’s remarks. An examination of three New Jersey Transit cars that derailed on April 3, causing minor injuries to passengers, showed all were current on federally mandated inspections, according to Steve Santoro, New Jersey Transit’s executive director. ‘Apparent Disregard’ The derailments “indicate Amtrak does not take its obligations seriously and has not effectively applied NJ Transit’s considerable payments to the proper maintenance of these assets,” Christie wrote in the letter. “Amtrak’s apparent disregard for NJ Transit’s customers is entirely unacceptable to me.” Nancy Snyder, a New Jersey Transit spokeswoman, didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. On its website, Amtrak said Wednesday that it was “working as quickly and safely as possible to restore regularly scheduled operations” and its “top priority is the safety of our passengers, employees and the traveling public.” New Jersey Transit made a payment to Amtrak of $62 million last week for capital investment in the Northeast Corridor. That doesn’t include monthly payments of $2.5 million to $5 million to cover Amtrak operating expenses, according to Christie’s letter. The governor said that in addition to halting payments, he has asked his attorney general to consider taking legal action to recover the money paid to Amtrak, according to the letter. Funding Crunch New Jersey Transit is beset by its own troubles. Christie has cut an annual state subsidy for the agency and diverted $2.94 billion in capital funding to day-to-day operations. The agency is under review by federal investigators and the Federal Railroad Administration amid a slipping safety record, increased crowding and eroding reliability. Last year it logged the most accidents among the 10 biggest commuter railroads, including its first fatal wreck in two decades. Amtrak for Thursday warned of modified service and delays for its Northeast Regional line operating between Washington and New York. New Jersey Transit told commuters to anticipate fewer trains, and diversions to Hoboken, opposite Manhattan in New Jersey. It was relying on supplementary buses and ferries. Penn Station is stymied by too few tracks and platforms, and limited by its major feeder, a century-old Hudson River tunnel that is a fragile choke point for trains between Boston and Washington. The passage, damaged during Hurricane Sandy, must be closed for a complete overhaul, and has less than 20 years of serviceable use, Amtrak has said. Gateway, a $23 billion Amtrak plan to build another tunnel, upgrade the station and replace antiquated bridges in the New York City suburbs, lacks a federal funding commitment. A budget blueprint by President Donald Trump last month proposed scrapping the main federal financing source. Christie in 2010 canceled plans to construct a tunnel, criticizing its design and potential cost overruns.