LIRR service restored after power line delays

Trains were on or close to schedule after a downed power line in an East River tunnel caused major evening rush hour delays Thursday on the Long Island Rail Road.

"It happened at the very worst time, at 4:35, the very beginning of the rush hour," said Marjorie Anders, an LIRR spokeswoman. About 95,000 people usually board LIRR trains each weekday evening for the trip home, Anders said. Large crowds developed at Penn Station as some trains were canceled; all lines were affected, she said.

The problem was caused by a downed Amtrak power line in one of the tunnels normally used by LIRR commuter trains. That was fixed before 7 p.m., but a number of earlier trains were canceled, and there were residual delays of 30 minutes expected for eastbound trains through the rush hour, the LIRR said.

The LIRR also had temporarily suspended westbound service into Penn Station from Jamaica earlier, but that service was restored about 6:10 p.m., officials said.

Trains were back on schedule or nearly on schedule by 8:20 p.m., Anders said.