Trains back on schedule after delays

It's been a long morning for the Long Island Rail Road.

A disabled Amtrak train near the East River tunnels caused cancellations and delays, and the Far Rockaway station was closed because of a New York Police Department investigation, a railroad spokesman told Newsday.

The Amtrak train was cleared and trains had resumed normal schedules by about 9:15 a.m., and the Far Rockaway station was reopened at about 9:30 a.m. The incident being investigated does not involve the railroad or railroad property, officials said.

The Amtrak problem caused a handful of cancellations of New York-bound trains - as well as delays of up to 30 minutes in between Jamaica and New York, the LIRR said.

Thursday night, the 8:53 p.m. train from Jamaica, due in Montauk at 11:57 p.m., was two hours late because it struck debris on the tracks just west of Mastic-Shirley - then was further delayed in Speonk awaiting a westbound train to pass in a single-track area.