LIRR: Derailment Causing Reduced PM Service, Disruptions through at Least Wednesday

The LIRR has now indicated it’ll run a reduced evening schedule Monday, and the delays and cancelations marking Monday morning’s commute will continue through at least Wednesday on various branches – including Babylon, which runs through Lindenhurst.

By midday were over and the MTA’s LIRR website was showing “good service” on most branches.

However, the announcement the derailment was going to impact service through at least Wednesday prompted LIRR to begin posting service changes Monday afternoon.

Here are the most recent service changes for the Babylon branch:

• The 4:04 p.m. train from Penn Station, due in Babylon at 5:05 p.m., is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 4:12 p.m. train from Penn Station to Massapequa Park, which will be extended to Babylon.
• The 4:34 p.m. train from Penn, due in Babylon at 5:39 p.m., is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 4:37 p., train from Penn, due in Babylon at 5:52 p.m., which will make all combined stops.
• The 4:52 p.m. train from New York, due in Babylon at 5:55 p.m., is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 5:03 p.m. train from New York to Wantagh, which will be extended to Babylon.
• The 6:33 PM from Penn Station, due in Babylon at 7:35 p.m., is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 6:36 p.m. to Wantagh, which will be extended to Babylon.
• The 5:19 p.m. train from New York, due in Wantagh at 6:06 p.m., is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 5:24 p.m. train from New York to Freeport, which will be extended to Wantagh.
• The 6:05 p.m. from Penn Station, due in Wantagh at 6:51 p.m., is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 6:10 p.m. to Freeport, which will be extended to Wantagh.
• The 5:40 p.m. train from New York, due in Seaford at 6:30 p.m., is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 5:47 p.m. from New York to Freeport, which will be extended to Seaford.

Monday morning Babylon branch customers experienced 10 to 20 minute delays into and out of Penn Station, according to the LIRR, and several trains were affected: the 6:42 a.m. from Babylon which was canceled; the 8:35 a.m. train from Babylon, which was canceled at Jamaica; and the 5:56 a.m. Babylon train, which was diverted to Atlantic Terminal.

The LIRR continues to urge customers to allow for extra travel time and expect scattered 10 to 20 minute delays system-wide going into the peak commute tonight and through at least Wednesday due to Sunday’s Amtrak derailment.

It continues to block one of the East River tunnels, the LIRR said, and there’s a lot more work required in clearing the equipment, and assessing and repairing track and signal damage, that will result in “significant adjustments to the LIRR's morning and evening peak service through at least Wednesday, May 11.”

The LIRR’s reduced evening rush hour service Monday involves approximately 20 eastbound trains from Penn Station that will be canceled and combined with other trains, including the service changes posted for the Babylon line.

Westbound LIRR service will terminate at Jamaica, and will terminate at Woodside on the Port Washington Branch starting approximately 4:30 p.m., said the LIRR.

New York City Transit will honor LIRR tickets on the E train to New York at Jamaica and at Woodside on the No. 7 line, said LIRR officials.

All Far Rockaway trains will depart from Atlantic Terminal, the added, noting, “The three Far Rockaway trains that normally leave from Penn Station – the 4:42 p.m., 5:32 p.m. and 6:02 p.m. – will instead depart from Atlantic Terminal.”

The LIRR’s urging customers to check on service before heading to train stations by monitoring the MTA website, listening to the latest news and traffic reports and/or signing up for free e-alerts that provide the latest train information direct from the LIRR train operations center.

Customers can also contact the LIRR's Travel Information Center at 718-217-5477 (718-217-LIRR). Hearing impaired customers can use their preferred relay service provider or the free 711 relay to reach LIRR at 718-217-5477.