Despite Promise of Normal Evening Rush, LIRR Delays, Cancellations Persist

What to Know

  • Crews were able to restore service to one of two Long Island Rail Road tracks affected by a derailment on Saturday night
  • Transit officials said commuters traveling on the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay branches should expect delays Monday
  • Officials urged commuters to use the Babylon, Hempstead, Port Washington and Montauk branches if they want to avoid delays

Despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo's promise that full rush-hour service will be restored for the Monday evening commute on the Long Island Rail Road following a weekend derailment, several delays and cancellations were being reported across branches.

The Long Island Rail Road said it would be running a regular weekday schedule for the evening on the affected Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay branches.

But there were reports of delays, cancellations and overcrowding on the LIRR website. 

State officials said a 12-car commuter train and a work train performing track maintenance "side-swiped" each other Saturday night, causing the commuter train to derail east of New York City.

Thirty-three people were injured, four of them seriously.

The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate.

Cuomo says crews used a crane to re-rail the derailed train and then moved from the site. They also repaired damaged tracks and conducted the necessary inspections before restoring service.

Senator Charles Schumer said Sunday that it appeared the work train somehow got in the way of the LIRR commuter train, possibly because the commuter train was on the wrong track.  

"We don't know why, but it wasn't on the track it should be," Schumer said. 

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