LIRR: Service on or close as signal repair continues at Penn

The Long Island Rail Road is operating on or close to schedule into and out of Penn Station, after signal trouble prompted suspension of westbound service into Manhattan and systemwide delays snarled the evening rush hour.

Repairs of the electrical signal problems at Penn are under way, officials said. Amtrak, which owns the tunnels into Penn used by LIRR, said it does not yet know how long they will take.

About 2:30 p.m. the LIRR reported a “track circuit failure” at the east end of Track 19 in Penn Station. LIRR spokesman Savatore Arena said the problem effectively removed tracks 19, 20 and 21 from service.

For a short time, Penn became so crowded due to the delays that police began barring people from entering. Those restrictions were lifted about 6:45 p.m.