A disabled train at Penn Station caused widespread delays across all Long Island Rail Road branches at the height of the evening rush Tuesday, backing up crowds at the station and forcing police to temporarily block entrances in an attempt to ease congestion.
The MTA says a train became disabled at Penn Station, and a resulting shortage of equipment stopped up service across all LIRR branches.
While service resumed by late evening, trains were still experiencing delays.
Commuters posted photos of crowds packed inside the passageways of Penn Station and police fencing people out.
One person griped on Twitter: "Great job, one stalled train = evening rush x 1000 #lirr #majorfail"
Another said: "Here we go again! 1 train w/ equipment problems means we cripple the whole system. How has the #LIRR not been dismantled? #WeDeserveBetter"
One rider posted a photo of wall-to-wall crowds clear across the station and wrote: "@LIRR @MTA just doing a wondergul job with the $ from the fair (sp) hikes"
When trains started moving again, people started rushing en masse onto the platforms, and one man "fell straight down, split his forehead open," according to a witness on Twitter. He told NBC 4 New York it happened when hundreds of people began cramming into the corridor. Paramedics responded immediately, he said.
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The situation wasn't much better inside the cars. Some people were forced to take other trains, and photos showed people standing up and packed into the aisles. And even then, trains didn't move for over a half-hour, one rider reported.
Many riders also vented about the lack of updates and announcements.
The nightmare wait comes the same day transit officials announced that ridership on the LIRR ticked up to 87.6 million in 2015, breaking a modern record.
MTA Chairman Thomas F. Prendergast attributed to the growing ridership in part to a "strengthening regional economy, healthier downtowns around the region and a new generation of millenials who value public transportation."
He also said customers are responding to improvements like more frequent trains, on-time performance and more real-time information.
To which riders on Twitter sarcastically responded: "On time performance & real time information? Which transit system is this report referencing?," and "Breaking records and the entire system #LIRR #FailRoad"
The breakdown at Penn Station came one day after thousands of commuters were similarly stranded at Grand Central Terminal when police activity at a Metro-North station in the Bronx mucked up service on two lines.
