LIRR trains running on time after morning delays, cancellations on Babylon Branch due to broken rail in Wantagh
An icy LIRR train in Babylon heading east Monday afternoon. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
After a morning of train delays and cancellations caused by a broken rail in Wantagh and equipment trouble that affected the Babylon, Ronkonkoma, Port Washington and Port Jefferson branches, the Long Island Rail Road is reporting service is on or close to schedule systemwide as of 12:40 p.m. Friday.
The lone issues remain on the Hempstead Branch, where scheduled accessibility improvement projects are currently causing trains to skip stops at Elmont-UBS Arena, Queens Village and Hollis.
The broken rail in Wantagh was reported at 1:20 a.m. and repaired by about 6:50 a.m., the railroad said.
Subsequent equipment trouble caused additional delays and cancellations on the Port Washington, Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma branches, as well as additional cancellations on the Babylon Branch.
The LIRR said the earlier broken rail caused the cancellation of at least three trains — the 7:21 a.m. train from Babylon to Penn Station; the 7:57 a.m. from Wantagh to Grand Central Terminal; and, the 8:18 a.m. from Wantagh to Penn Station — as the railroad asked riders to use alternate trains on the branch. The incident also caused 10- to 15-minute delays on the Ronkonkoma Branch and service to Grand Central, the railroad said.
"There are delays and multiple cancellations this morning along the Babylon Branch while our crews work to repair a broken rail near Wantagh," an alert on the MTA website read. That post was updated just after 7:45 a.m. to reflect the repairs had been completed.
The LIRR was also reported delays on the Port Washington Branch after a substitution of equipment related to service from Grand Central to Great Neck.
The two Saks Off 5th stores closing on Long Island are at Tanger Outlets Deer Park, shown in 2020, and Tanger Outlets Riverhead. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Equipment trouble had also caused a cancellation of one train on the Port Jefferson Branch.
In a separate post, the railroad said the 7:09 a.m. train from Port Jefferson to Penn Station was cancelled due to an unspecified equipment problem — and said riders were accommodated by the 7:31 a.m. train from Port Jefferson to Hunterspoint Avenue, with a transfer at Jamaica for service to Penn.
It was not anticipated that any of the morning issues would affect evening rush-hour service.
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
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