Last night around 11:15 p.m., a freight train running on LIRR tracks derailed near Wyandanch, forcing the MTA to suspend service along the Ronkonkoma Branch while they cleared the train. Luckily, it looks like the morning commute is running smoothly. more ›

A NJ Transit train derailed in the tunnel between Penn Station and the Hudson River. A rescue operation is underway to remove passengers from the train (initial reports are that only one car derailed). more ›

The work to repair a track in a tunnel shared by Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road is going to take longer than expected, which means the LIRR will have service disruptions through Friday. For today's service, 22 trains were canceled or diverted, and the transit agency had been hoping that would be it, LIRR president Helena Williams said, "I am disappointed that Amtrak was not able to complete their repair work in time to meet the goal of returning to normal service by Thursday." more ›

The LIRR service disruptions, which were caused by an Amtrak train derailment in an East River tunnel on Sunday, are continuing this morning, and the MTA says get used to it. Rush hour service is expected to be affected through "at least" Wednesday. This morning the MTA reduced the number of trains that it normally operates into Penn Station during the morning rush by 25 percent: a total of 22 of the 98 trains are be canceled, terminated or diverted this morning, and you can expect the same for the evening rush. On the bright side, at least everybody's keeping this situation in perspective on Twitter: more ›

After an Amtrak train derailed in an East River tunnel yesterday, the Long Island Railroad is experiencing heavy delays and a "significantly reduced" schedule this morning. 23 westbound trains are cancelled, diverted, or terminating at Jamaica Station, where passengers can transfer to the subway into Manhattan. According to the MTA, about a quarter of the trains that the LIRR normally operates into Penn Station during the morning rush will be affected. Officials expect more cancellations and delays for tonight's p.m. rush as well! Let's turn to Twitter to see how people are coping: more ›

Folks using the 1, 2 or 3 trains, start praying that NYC Transit is able to fix issues at Park Place by the evening rush. A reader had mentioned that a train derailed at Park Place earlier today and now the MTA's NYCT Service Alert page says:

"Due to a train with ongoing mechanical problems at the Park Place Station, 2 train service is running on the 5 line between the 149th Street-Grand Concourse Station and the Nevins Street Station in both directions. more ›

A car at the end of a commuter rail almost tried to make the leap for New Jersey when a Staten Island Railway train derailed at the end of its line as it approached Arthur Kill in Tottenville. No one was injured and New York City Transit is still investigating the cause of what led to the train going through the "bumper block" after its 40-minute trip from the ferry terminal at around 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning. That investigation requires that the crew of the train must all undergo mandatory drug and alcohol testing. Onlookers were surprised at just how close the train came to the narrow strip of water that separates the island from New Jersey. “Holy smokes, you have to be going pretty fast to go this far,” one commuter remarked to the Times. This was the first deraliment since last year for the Staten Island, which began running in 1860—over 40 years before the subway's arrival. more ›

Long Island Rail Road crews are still working around the clock to repair track and signals damaged when a train derailed at Jamaica Station on Sunday. Though the jackknifed train car was removed, Newsday reports, "LIRR officials say a wealth of damage was left behind, including to signal systems, wiring and hundreds of feet of track - some of which required exhaustive 'inch-by-inch precision' repairs." Like Monday and yesterday, the MTA is canceling a number of trains during the Wednesday AM rush, but will go ahead with the extra eastbound trains for afternoon customers heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday--here's the MTA's LIRR alert page. An LIRR spokesman said, "We're doing our best to make sure we can provide the most amount of service we can while keeping in mind that safety is our first priority." more ›

Long Island Rail Road riders will have to brace themselves for another day of screwed up service. Though MTA repair crews have been working nonstop since Sunday to fix damaged rails and switches after a train derailed just west of Jamaica Station-- forcing numerous cancellations during the morning and evening rush hours and delays (some riders' -- the damage is so extensive that there are also delays and cancelled service for today. more ›

Yesterday, Long Island Rail Road train derailed west of the Jamaica Station, which Newsday reports "caus[ed] major damage to rails and switches"; luckily no one was hurt. Even though repair crews have been working on it through the night, the MTA has cancelled 12 westbound Monday morning trains into Penn Station and Flatbush Avenue and modified other services, telling customers they "should anticipate significant schedule changes and possible delays"--check the MTA's service alert. LIRR Riders Council chairman Gerry Bringmann said, "Thank God this happened on a weekend. The fact that we have two [accidents] within four or five days - that's scary stuff," referring to the Wednesday incident where two LIRR trains bumped at Jamaica Station. The MTA says yesterday's derailment is being investigated but it's "not related to the train sideswipe that occurred in Jamaica on November 19." more ›

At least one subway car on the N line derailed near 57th Street and 7th Avenue around 5 p.m. this afternoon. WABC 7 is reporting the incident involved one car while WCBS 2 says two cars derailed and WNBC 4 notes at least three cars were affected. The train was traveling southbound and no passengers seemed injured--just a little shaken up. more ›

Eastbound Long Island Rail Road Service is facing delays of at least an hour after the 9:35 a.m. train derailed at Jamaica Station. Eastbound service had been suspended out of Penn Station, but it was restored. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: three pedestrians struck on 65th St. and 7th Ave. in Brooklyn, a tourist bus vs. building incident on 51st St. and Broadway in Manhattan, and a train derailment on East 239th St. in the Bronx.
• 47 years ago, two planes bound for Laguardia and JFK collided over Miller Field on Staten Island in mid-air. As body parts, Christmas presents, and debris rained from the sky over Staten Island, 132 people lost their lives. One of the two planes crashed in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
• A $35 million to $45 million renovation at Lincoln Center will displace the New York City Opera through the 2008-09 season.
• A Jewish family in Orange County, NY was the victim of a campaign of harassment by other Orthodox individuals. The local cops had to discontinue their investigation because no one was snitchin'.
• Aw, just in time for the holidays the Reds have gone Green. The Communist Party spent $1 million to make its NY headquarters more environmentally friendly.
• The driver in last week's passenger van-Q46 bus collision will not be facing criminal charges resulting from the accident that ejected a young girl from his vehicle, while she is still in critical but stable condition.
• Another grenade-related police shooting--this time of a man in Orange County, NY.
• A round-up of Christmas star cookie recipes.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a fatal fire on Pennsylvania Ave. in Brooklyn, a train derailment on 41st St. and 1st Ave. in Brooklyn, and a shooting on East Gunhill Rd. in the Bronx.
• Anthony Marshall's––Brooke Astor's estranged son––lawyer pleaded not guilty to forgery in the sordid case of her will.
• BestWeekEver.tv's Michelle Collins manages to compliment Tony Bennett, fling a t-shirt at Nick Lachey, stump Josh Groban on the definition of "Cougars", covet Sean Kingston's 14K Crayolas, and be disappointed by Celine Dion, all in one 4-minute segment. That's jam-packed talent.
• Community spokesperson Al Sharpton and mayoral hopeful Council Speaker Christine Quinn fell over themselves denouncing hateful speech yesterday.
• Pimping your motor vehicle rides is for LA suckers. New Yorkers pimp their bikes with mega stereo systems––really.
• Managing Editor Choire Sicha is flying the coop from Gawker.com.
• A construction worker was rescued after being buried alive in Morningside Heights up to his chest.
• Ray Kelly flips Councilman Simcha Felder the bird, literally. He gave him a plastic pigeon in recognition of his somewhat controversial bid to rid NYC of what the councilman described as "flying rats".

Passengers on a PATH train from Newark to the World Trade Center station had a shaky ride this afternoon. The train started to shudder from side to side, causing a motorman to stop the train. WNBC reports that at least 30 people were injured, with "as many as 10 passengers...taken off the train on backboards." Hours earlier, a train on the M line derailed at Chambers Street. There were no passengers, just transit workers, and... more ›

Yesterday's PATH Train derailment left a few hundred stranded for 2 hours, but no one was injured. One of the cars in the middle of a 2:55PM train going from Hoboken to Penn Station derailed, so another PATH train had to be dispatched to evacuate the 300 passengers, who were taken back to Hoboken. There goes those NYC plans! more ›

And in case you missed the Publisher's note yesterday: Gothamist is looking for a new weekend editor. Responsibilities include writing 10 posts per day on Saturday and Sunday and organizing the flow of contributions from other writers. The pay is competitive with blog-writing gigs for other NYC media companies. Requirements: real blogging experience, a serious appetite for NYC-related content, and a genuine love for the city. This job can be done from anywhere within the five boroughs, but you may be called downtown to meet with us once or twice a month. If you're interested, email Jake (at) Gothamist-- no attachments please-- just a short paragraph about you and a few links to relevant work on the web. more ›

Pink Ski Mask, by Webchango. Email your pix to photos@gothamist if you want us to use them. more ›

Yesterday's stormy weather brought many transportation delays that will lead to some delays today as well. WABC 7 reported that many passengers leaving via JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports had waited 13-14 hours before heading to hotels. Today, JFK and Newark should be able to get their delayed passengers out, but given the small space that LaGuardia has, passengers are more likely to wait for their flights to even come in. It makes talk of the Port Authority possibly buying Stewart Airport in upstate Newburgh seem all the more logical. The Post says the land that Stewart occupies is bigger than Newark and LaGuardia combined. more ›

An L train subway operator suffered a seizure and crashed an L train as he was trying to park it at the Canarsie railyards yesterday morning. Luckily, no one was injured seriously, and the operator and two other workers were taken to the hospital. The MTA also said there was a contractor installing advertising, but there are no reports he was injured. The Daily News describes the derailment:

The train hit a set of metal poles at the end of the tracks that are supposed to stop runaway trains. The L stopped after it crashed into a fence, where part of it remained some 15 feet in the air.

- A NJ couple won the huge MegaMillions jackpot; husband Harold Lerner says he'll buy a Checker cab (he grew up in Brooklyn) and give people free rides! more ›

Yesterday afternoon, the Franklin Avenue shuttle derailed at Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard, knocking some passengers out of their seats. Riders escaped serious injury but had to be evacuated as authorities investigated the trains. One early hypothesis is that signal problems caused the derailment - damn those signals! The Franklin Avenue shuttle is only two cars long and is conductorless, leading the NYC Transit to try to reassure people by saying, "All these shuttles are conductorless. These trains are no less safe than any other." more ›

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Yesterday morning, a vaccuum train was derailed near the Smith and 9th Street stops in Brooklyn, causing a huge problem for commuters who take the F and G trains yesterday. The train was being returned to Brooklyn after cleaning up various subway tracks, but it ended up getting derailed in the early morning, causing grief for commmuters and possibly more damage to the train tracks. The NY Times notes the extent of the derailment:

It took more than 60 track and car maintainers and other workers until 3:22 p.m. to get the train moving again. It was removed to a rail yard near Coney Island for repairs. Transit officials rented two large cranes, one to deliver materials to the site and the other to lift up the middle car so it could be placed back on the tracks. more ›

Yesterday, a commuter train in western Japan derailed and crashed into an apartment building, injuring 340 and killing 73. Investigators suspect that the train's speed was a cause, because the conductor was trying to make up for a delay, since the train was running 90 seconds late. The 23 year old conductor had missed an earlier stop, had to go back, and then proceed again; the driver has not been found yet. West Japan Railway sources say that its president will resign over the accident. more ›

The NY Times has an interesting explanation of this accident, adding that if the train had crashed into the concrete bumper at a higher speed, the train could have "pushed the front car of the train upward, possibly striking the metal beams above the tracks." The media says there were only minor delays yesterday, but with one of those shuttles out, Gothamist knows it must have been a bitch to get to work because those cars are packed with people trying to get to the East Side from the West Side. And remember last December's F train derailment and fires? And there was a big subway derailment in 2000 on the B train that had about 60+ injuries. Also: Abandoned Stations has an interesting look at a proposed platform at Grand Central. more ›

Were you screwed by the subway fire? How smoky was it? Gothamist saw tons of fire trucks at Broadway and Lafayette - a pretty crazy scene. more ›

Oh, New York City Subway. Gothamist knows you are 100 years old, and you've been doing a great job. But it makes us so sad and frustrated when there's a subway derailment AND a broken rail in a given day. Yesterday, a B train derailed in the morning and then a broken rail was found at West 4th Street, which meant lots of service was suspended. The Daily News reports that "Four wheels on the seventh car of the southbound B train train went off the tracks in a tunnel leading to the DeKalb Ave. station at 8 a.m." Yikes, wheels coming off the train. The MTA will inspect the train and its route. more ›