Broken rail in tunnel delays LIRR
The Long Island Rail Road canceled 10 trains Wednesday morning because of repairs to a broken rail in the East River tunnel, a Metro Transit Authority spokeswoman said.
Marjorie Anders said the train cancellations were part of a diversion plan used to reduce congestion in rail traffic into Penn Station. Fewer trains means the repair work can be done more efficiently, Anders said.
The rail repair was expected to take about one hour, she said, and was completed at about 8 a.m.
Overall, the commuter service had planned to cancel 11 trains, but workers completed the task so the final train could proceed under its normal schedule, Anders said.
None of the trains were scheduled to be canceled at their origins, Anders said. Commuters were able to board their trains under a normal schedule, and those trains were then canceled at Jamaica, she said.
Announcements were made on board for which connecting trains commuters should take out of Jamaica, she said.
"It's all about reducing train congestion with minimal impact on the people riding the trains," Anders said of the MTA diversion plan.
