Ronkonkoma LIRR service restored

The Long Island Rail Road has fixed a broken rail that delayed service on the Ronkonkoma line Tuesday morning.

The railway said the first westbound train will be the 11:11 a.m. from Ronkonkoma, due in Penn Station at 12:32 p.m. The first eastbound train will be the 9:14 a.m. from Penn, which is due in Ronkonkoma at 10:37 a.m.

Earlier, the LIRR set up a bus shuttle between Ronkonkoma and Central Islip after a rail broke on the westbound Ronkonkoma branch.

The commuter service sent a release shortly after 7 a.m. announcing that westbound travel from the Ronkonkoma station had been halted because of the track damage, east of the Central Islip station near Ocean Avenue.

It will likely take repair crews until 10:30 to repair the rail, the LIRR said.

A delay of up to 15 minutes is likely, the LIRR said.

Spokesman Sam Zambuto said that vandals apparently stole wire near the track, causing damage by "electric arcing." Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police are investigating, he said.

The 6:24 a.m. from Ronkonkoma was the last westbound train to move through Central Islip, the LIRR said. That train was held in Brentwood until 6:50 a.m. to accommodate as many westbound customers as possible.