LIRR on or close to schedule after train stalls in tunnel

The Long Island Rail Road is operating on or close to schedule out of Penn Station with residual delays east of Jamaica after an earlier breakdown of a train in one of the East River tunnels, officials said Tuesday.

Commuters earlier dealt with rush-hour delays and cancellations after the train became disabled.

The LIRR had reported delays of 5 to 10 minutes out of Penn Station and canceled three eastbound trains after the 5:24 train to Freeport became disabled “due to equipment trouble” inside one of the four East River tunnels leading to and from Penn.

Shortly before 6 p.m., the LIRR reported that the disabled train, which was already running 30 minutes late, “returned to Penn and received substitute equipment.”

The LIRR, considered the busiest commuter railroad in the United States, carries 338,000 riders on a typical weekday.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.