LIRR: Regular service restored systemwide after power problem

After 33 hours of delays and cancellations from a power problem, the Long Island Rail Road has restored regular service systemwide.

The Babylon Branch was back by 9 a.m. Friday, completing the restoration of service, the railroad said. Earlier, that branch and the West Hempstead, Long Beach and Far Rockaway lines had widespread service changes because of signal system damage. 

Travelers on the four branches had delays and cancellations during Friday morning rush hour in the aftermath of a PSEG Long Island electric wire falling on tracks in Valley Stream around midnight Thanksgiving morning, the railroad said. Crews worked through the night on permanent infrastructure repairs.

"Yesterday’s unfortunate downed PSEG LI line caused extensive damage to our signal infrastructure in multiple locations in Valley Stream," a railroad representative said in a statement. "LIRR crews and personnel responded immediately and have been working around the clock in the bitter cold to restore regular train service."

Just after 5 a.m., the LIRR said service was restored with 30 minutes of added travel time on the West Hempstead Branch, which was in and out of service all day Thursday. The branch was back to normal by 9 a.m.

Regular train service was restored to the Long Beach and Far Rockaway branches by about 8:40 a.m., the railroad said.

During the morning, the Babylon line had 21 trains canceled and others adding local stops. The railroad had advised morning riders to plan for up to 30 minutes of extra travel time. 

The LIRR had recommended customers use the Hempstead, Huntington/Port Jefferson or Ronkonkoma branches on Friday. Some Huntington/Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma trains added stops at Mineola for South Shore riders.

By sending warnings on Thursday night about anticipated Friday morning issues, riders successfully used alternate branches, a railroad representative said. Extra station staff and buses also were on standby. 

The downed wire sparked a small fire at the electricity substation in Valley Stream and damaged a signal tower, according to the LIRR. The fallen wire, near Satterie Avenue and Sunrise Highway, was reported to PSEG Long Island at 2:42 a.m. Thursday, PSEG Long Island spokeswoman Elizabeth Flagler said. Crews had the wire off the tracks around 10:15 a.m. and finished the utility company’s repairs by 2:30 p.m. 

Flagler said Friday morning that the wire had probably been knocked down by wind on Thursday or had been damaged in previous storms. 

Fewer riders took the LIRR to Penn Station this year on Thanksgiving morning than in 2017, according to the railroad. There were 6,710 travelers who arrived at Penn Station between 7 and 10:30 a.m. this year, likely for the parade, while there were 10,810 in that time frame last year. Officials believe the lower ridership was due to the colder weather this year.

With Stefanie Dazio