LIRR Morning Rush Wednesday to be 'Near Normal'

Rush hour service on the Long Island Rail Road Wednesday morning is expected to be "near normal" following the expected completion of a damaged East River tunnel, including on the Ronkonkoma branch that runs through Farmingdale and Bethpage.

Amtrak personnel were nearing completion of repairs to switches and 500 feet of track damaged Monday evening when an LIRR train derailed in one of Amtrak's East River tunnels.

LIRR customers are advised to check the service status box here and news reports before leaving in the morning. At 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, all trains were reported to be running normally.

Tuesday's rush hour commutes, morning and evening, saw cancelled and delayed trains as a result of Monday's incident.

LIRR forces worked since Monday to re-rail and clear the derailed cars. Amtrak is assessing track damage and making repairs to the track and switches at the derailment site. The cause of the derailment is under investigation by both railroads and the Federal Railroad Administration.