LIRR's Port Washington branch partially restored after storm

Fallen trees on tracks from a severe storm yesterday afternoon crippled the Long Island Rail Road at the height of rush hour, shutting down Penn Station and suspending service between Manhattan and Jamaica, and leaving commuters waiting for hours or scrambling to find alternate ways home.

The Port Washington branch was suspended until Friday morning, but limited service has been restored, according to the MTA website. Westbound trains only will operate as "half-hourly rush-hour service only" with the first train having left the station at 7:05 a.m. 

Eastbound service remains suspended, the website said. 

Among the many trees that fell down on the Port Washington line were a couple of 70-footers that damaged communications equipment at the Murray Hill stop, which controls the LIRR train signals, Calderone said.

"We have crews working overnight. It's just a question of making sure tracks are clear of trees," he said.

The trees that severed the connection between Penn Station and Jamaica were across the tracks in Forest Hills and Woodside, preventing a clear right-of-way. The first reports of downed trees came in about 5:45 p.m. At about 6, service was suspended.

To alleviate overcrowding, LIRR officials closed Penn Station to new customers Thursday night, while those already waiting were allowed to remain.

Among the commuters struggling to find another way home were Ron Filipowitz, of Massapequa, his daughter Samantha, and co-worker Rob Pereira, of East Meadow. They called for a limousine.

Standing outside Penn Station, the elder Filipowitz, 59, said commuters had been directed outside the terminal and given little information.

"We were treated like a herd of cows," said Pereira, 33.

If their limo didn't show, they planned to take the subway to Jamaica, where a family member would pick them up.

Inside Penn Station, commuters milled around the entrances to the LIRR, scrounging for information on laptops and iPads, and snoozing on the marble floors.

Michael Chouinard, of Huntington, said his big mistake was working late. By the time he arrived, the station was packed and nothing was moving. His plan? "Wait it out." And if he's stranded till the morning? "I'll probably go back to work," he said, and sleep on the floor there.

Burt Carnesi, 47, of East Northport, said he was troubled by the sketchy information provided by the LIRR but said he was keeping it in perspective: "Working in the city, you have to deal with the problems. I have problems with the LIRR, but you have to remember that 90 percent of the time it's OK," he said.

Even commuters who bypassed Penn Station were stymied. Hank Hintze, 50, of Long Beach, was stranded at Jamaica at 11 p.m., unsure of when his train to Long Beach would depart.

He was supposed to have dinner with his son to celebrate the young man's 17th birthday. Instead, Hintze had spent at least five hours trying to get home.

"It's frustrating, but you can't control this," Hintze said. "It's an act of God. What are you going to do?"