LIRR Headaches to Continue Thursday

Long Island Rail Road officials said Wednesday night that crews have finished repairing a set of wires damaged in an electrical fire, but commuters will face a fourth straight day of cancelations and delays on Thursday as safety tests are conducted on railroad equipment.

The railroad is once again canceling 25 percent of its westbound trains–33 trains out of 144–during the morning rush Thursday as LIRR crews continue work on a switching system near Jamaica Station that was damaged in the fire Monday morning.

Although 200 wires have now been replaced, LIRR officials said the testing phase could reveal further damage, which would require additional equipment replacements. 

"It is likely that the testing and additional replacements will take several days to complete," a service advisory reads.

Testing must be performed on the 77 switching points and 53 signals that Hall Tower controls, officials said.  That tower, located just east of Jamaica Station, was the scene of the fire that started around 11 a.m. Monday. 

The LIRR said commuters "should expect significant schedule changes and delays during Thursday's morning and evening rush hours."

The following Thursday morning westbound Babylon Branch trains have been canceled:

• The 7:04 a.m. Ronkonkoma train due in Penn Station at 8:19 a.m.
• The 7:19 a.m. Ronkonkoma train due in Penn Station at 8:28 a.m.

For the evening rush, the LIRR will be running at about 68 percent of its normal 127 trains between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The figure is up slightly from 66 percent on Wednesday.

The following eastbound trains have been canceled:

• The 4:34 p.m. from Atlantic Terminal due Ronkonkoma 5:57 p.m.
• The 7:11 p.m. from NY due Ronkonkoma 8:33 p.m.

Commuters will be able to exit or board trains at Jamaica Station, however trains stopping at Jamaica will not be held for scheduled connections to/from Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal, Hunterspoint Avenue and Long Island City, LIRR officials said.

Officials said the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but it appeared to be weather-related.