LIRR: Broken rail shouldn't jam up commute

A broken rail east of the Freeport station caused daytime delays Monday on the Long Island Rail Road, but repairs were made in time and won't slow the afternoon commute, a spokesman said.

Spokesman Sal Arena said trains will be forced to "single tracking" because of the broken rail on the eastbound track, just east of the Freeport station.

Because one train is forced to stop to allow another one to pass, single tracking is likely to cause delays in both directions until repairs are finished, about 3 p.m., Arena said.

Delays of five to 10 minutes were expected during the day.

The commuter service had notified customers via email about the broken rail shortly after noon. Another email, notifying customers that the repair had been completed, went out at about 2:30 p.m.