LIRR: Trains back on schedule Wednesday

The Long Island Rail Road said early Wednesday morning it expects a normal rush hour, a day after service disruptions due to a derailed New Jersey Transit train impacted commuters. 

The LIRR warned commuters to pay attention to announcements about changes, such as trains not leaving from their usual tracks.

Because of the derailment, NJ Transit and Amtrak were sharing two tracks Tuesday typically reserved for the LIRR.

The derailment affected LIRR service because the LIRR uses tracks under Penn Station to move its trains from a storage yard on the west side of Manhattan.

Part of the Trenton-bound New Jersey Transit train derailed Tuesday morning as it left Penn Station and headed under the Hudson River, briefly stranding hundreds of passengers and snarling rail traffic throughout the Northeast, the AP said.

The last two cars of the 10-car train jumped their rails about 8 a.m., transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll told the AP. No one was injured, she said.

The train's 300 passengers were transferred to another train by 9:18 a.m., she said. The accident happened before the rail lines narrow to one track to enter the tunnel, so the second train was able to pull alongside the disabled train on a parallel track.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

The accident forced authorities to shut down one of the two rail tunnels used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains between Manhattan and New Jersey, the AP said. Both inbound and outbound trains were sharing the remaining tunnel, said Cliff Cole, an Amtrak spokesman.

Amtrak and New Jersey Transit authorities have long complained that they need more tunnels under the Hudson to avoid delays when something goes wrong, the AP reported.

In October, a plan to dig another tunnel was shelved after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie balked at the $9-billion to $14-billion price tag.