LIRR asks Amtrak to review Passover delay
Passengers jam onto a train at Penn Station as LIRR trains are delayed by an issue on Amtrak tracks. Some trains were combined as others were cancelled. (April 18, 2011) Credit: Craig Ruttle
The Long Island Rail Road Tuesday said it has asked Amtrak to conduct a full review of the track inspection and subsequent emergency repair inside an East River tunnel that caused major service disruptions on the LIRR during the busy Passover evening rush period Monday.
The LIRR asked that in the future Amtrak not schedule inspections that could potentially affect peak commuting times.
The disruption led to 21 canceled evening rush trains, lengthy delays and the suspension of all trains into Penn Station for more than three hours.
"We apologize for the delays caused by this emergency repair," the LIRR said in a statement. "We appreciate your patience during last evening's disruption to service."
After an inspection by workers Monday, Amtrak, which owns and maintains Penn Station and its tunnels, discovered defects in two "insulated joints" in a rail inside one of the East River tunnels at about 2 p.m.
LIRR officials said Amtrak initially told them that the problem would not effect the Monday evening rush, which began early because of the Passover holiday.
"However, the repairs took longer than Amtrak originally anticipated," according to the LIRR. Amtrak did not complete the repair until about 7:30 p.m.
The LIRR had added eight extra eastbound trains between 2:08 p.m. and 3:48 p.m. on Monday to help customers leaving work early because of Passover. But news of the track problem and resulting disruptions did not come out until after 3:30 p.m.
The LIRR also has asked that "Amtrak staff be readily available to complete emergency repairs" when problems arise.
In a statement, Amtrak apologized "for any inconvenience caused by . . . [Monday's] emergency repairs."Regardless of who was at fault for the delays, 40-year commuter John Molesphini,cqth of Valley Stream, said the LIRR did a "terrible" job of communicating with customers. He said he had already been waiting for 20 minutes for his train at Penn Station when he heard the announcement of "scattered five- to 10-minute delays."
"It's an insult to my intelligence," said Molesphini, an investment bank chief executive officer. "Just give me the facts. I'm a big boy. I can deal with it."He said the inspection was federally mandated and that Amtrak did have "appropriate emergency personnel at the site," but added that crews had to wait for parts and equipment to arrive.
