Islanders fans complain after 2 trains following game at Barclays Center canceled

A pair of post-Islander game trains on the Long Island Rail Road leaving Brooklyn for Babylon and Ronkonkoma were canceled on Saturday night because of switch work and replaced by trains that stopped at Jamaica, officials said.

Unsuspecting fans carped about crowded platforms and what they said was a lack of communication about the cancellations.

"It was chaotic and a little frustrating," said Cord Lehman, 23, of Syosset, who posted a video to Twitter of fans in Islanders jerseys waiting for the train. "Everyone in the Atlantic Terminal was trying to find out if there’s an extra train. Then they announced there is no train."

Instead, the trains to Babylon and Ronkonkoma were replaced by two additional trains between Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica, where riders could connect to their local branches, according to Meredith Daniels, a spokeswoman for the LIRR.

The service impact is due to a new switch just west of Mineola Station, as part of the LIRR's Third Track project for the railroad's Main Line.

The work will stop the special service after Barclays Center events on weekends through most of February, Daniels said.

The LIRR offers special post-event eastbound service, one to Babylon and one to Ronkonkoma, leaving about 20 minutes after the conclusion of each Barclays Center event, according to the railroad's website.

"We coordinated with the Islanders on customer messaging to make sure we doubled our efforts to inform Islanders fans about the service impacts. We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work to provide a third track that will greatly help riders moving forward," Daniels said in a statement.

By David M. Schwartz

dschwar1@newsday.comschwartznewsNY

David Schwartz covers environmental issues. A native Long Islander, he's worked at Newsday since 2013.