LIRR set to resume full service Monday

The Long Island Rail Road is running all regularly scheduled trains Monday after a week of reduced service that left many commuters frustrated and angry as railroad workers struggled to repair a fire-damaged switch and signal system.

By 4 p.m. Sunday the job was complete, officials said, and LIRR president Helena Williams said the return to full service would be in time for the start of the workweek. She had a message for passengers who had dealt with delays and canceled trains.

"I appreciate the challenges our customers faced during the past week and I thank them for their patience during what has been a difficult time," Williams said.

Williams also praised the hundreds of LIRR workers involved in what she described as a round-the-clock effort to restore the nation's busiest commuter railroad to normal operation.

"I am very proud to say we had an outstanding workforce, a terrific team," she said.

The cause of the fire that disabled the automatic switch and signal system and the overtime costs that resulted are not known, Williams said, but will be addressed in an "after-incident assessment" that is planned.

While repairs were under way, the LIRR relied on a manual switching system and officials said they managed to run 75 percent of the railroad's morning rush hour service last week and 66 to 68 percent of the afternoon rush hour service.

The fire on Aug. 23 knocked out a signal center called Hall Tower that's east of Jamaica station, where 10 of the railroad's 11 branches converge. A switching machine in the tower designed in 1913 lost about 200 wires that relay signals to rail tracks.

Individual wires were assessed and replaced as part of the repair work, officials said, and more than 300 tests were run on the system during the weekend to make sure it was ready to go.

A major modernization of the switch and signal system at Jamaica is scheduled for late October and early November, when a $56 million computerized control center will go online, officials said.

Maureen Michaels, chair of the LIRR Commuter Council, said it was about time normal schedules could resume. She said the past week had been one of uncertainty for the LIRR's 100,000 daily commuters and others who rely on the railroad.

"There's tremendous upheaval that happens when these kinds of events occur," Michaels said. "It's a mess for everybody."

While some commuters, accustomed to the hardships of getting around the region, took the service disruptions in stride, others found themselves unable to get around and were late to work and appointments.

Impact of fire on rails last week

With the switch and signal system back up and running, this week should be easier for LIRR commuters. On Monday, Aug. 23, the electrical fire on LIRR's track switch system crippled the railroad bringing it to a virtual halt for four hours and leaving more than 100,000 evening rush passengers scrambling for other ways to get home. Here's a look at the impact of the fire on the rail system from last week. Officials said they managed 75 percent of normal morning rush hour service and 66 to 68 percent of afternoon rush hour service.

Tuesday: 76 trains cancelled.

Wednesday: 76 trains cancelled.

Thursday: 77 trains cancelled.

Friday: 81 trains cancelled.