LIRR: Service restored after train hits vehicle in Mineola

Long Island Rail Road service has been restored through Mineola after a train hit a vehicle Friday night in a fiery collision.

The service was restored early Saturday, the railroad said in a tweet at 4 a.m.

The crash had caused damage in Mineola and suspended service in both directions on the Huntington/Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay branches, the commuter railroad said.

“Both tracks have been repaired,” the railroad said in the early morning tweet. “We apologize for the inconvenience.”

No injuries were reported, but Nassau police on Friday described the track damage as “extensive.” A nearby building also partially burned, police said.

LIRR spokeswoman Nancy Gamerman said Friday the vehicle may have been stalled on the tracks, but the driver got out before the vehicle was struck about 7:50 p.m. on Willis Avenue by a train that had finished its run and was not carrying passengers.

The train and vehicle were both removed by 11 p.m. Friday, Gamerman said.

The collision capped a day of LIRR headaches that started during the morning commute, when riders faced delays to and from Atlantic Terminal due to a Con Edison fire. Those electrical issues were fixed in time for the evening commute, but riders then had to cope with congestion and cancellations because of an Amtrak signal problem in Penn Station.

With Ellen Yan and Alfonso A. Castillo