Delays on LIRR's Long Beach branch

Service on the Long Beach branch of the Long Island Rail Road was one big mess Thursday morning after a train became disabled at a switch just south of the Island Park station due to a signal problem, railroad officials said.

The incident occurred just before 8 a.m. By 10 a.m. the problem was causing 50-minute delays to westbound trains from Long Beach.

The 8:38 a.m. train from Long Beach, scheduled to arrive at Atlantic Terminal at 9:26 a.m., operated 53 minutes late, officials said. The 9:21 a.m. train from Long Beach, scheduled to arrive at Penn Station at 10:11 a.m., was canceled.

Officials said the 8:58 a.m. from Long Beach instead originated from Island Park at 9:04 a.m. due to the problem. That train was scheduled to arrive at Penn Station at 9:53 a.m.

The 10:11 a.m. train from Long Beach left on time, officials said. However, it was not clear if the problem affecting the signals and switch had been resolved. That issue occurred when the eastbound train, which had departed Atlantic Terminal at 6:48 a.m., became stuck at the switch location because of the signal problem, railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan said.

No other branches are being affected by delays, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority website.