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LIRR "Hell" Continues Today Through "At Least Wednesday"

By

John Del Signore

Published May 10, 2011

Modified May 10, 2011

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CBS2

 

By

John Del Signore

Published May 10, 2011

Modified May 10, 2011

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The LIRR service disruptions

, which were caused by an Amtrak train derailment in an East River tunnel on Sunday, are continuing this morning, and the MTA says get used to it. Rush hour service is expected to be affected through "at least" Wednesday. This morning the MTA reduced the number of trains that it normally operates into Penn Station during the morning rush by 25 percent: a total of 22 of the 98 trains are be canceled, terminated or diverted this morning, and you can expect the same for the evening rush. On the bright side, at least everybody's keeping this situation in perspective on Twitter:

While Amtrak was able to re-rail all their train cars on Monday, there is extensive track damage that requires repair and testing before the tunnel can be restored for train service. The train, which was going 60 mph when it derailed, was devoid of passengers at the time and there were no injuries. But the accident damaged a 1,400-foot section of track. "So they’ve had to re-rail these cars, get them out of the way," Joe Calderon, LIRR spokesman., tells CBS 2. "And then they need to do the repairs. And they you have to get the materials to the site. It’s very labor intensive." Amtrak believes the cause to be a broken rail.

Newsday (paywall) reports that the repair process is hindered by the cramped confines of the tunnel, which is only 23 feet wide. "The cramped space also makes it hard to move equipment, including some 200 wooden rail ties needed to repair the damaged track, estimated to be 1,400 feet long," officials tell Newsday.

Tagged

amtrak

commute

derailment

lirr

long island rail road

rush hour

John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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