Update: Here's the update from the MTA about tonight's LIRR commute, which will be made much more difficult due to a fire at a switching tower east of Jamaica.
Very limited LIRR service through Jamaica has been restored after a switch fire this morning eliminated the railroad's ability to switch trains from one track to another at Jamaica. As a result, there will be no regularly scheduled connections at Jamaica this evening.
- Far Rockaway and Hempstead Branch customers must catch their train from Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn.
- Customers for all other branches please depart from Penn Station.
- Montauk Branch customers, please take a Babylon Branch train and change at Babylon.
- Oyster Bay Branch customers, please change at Mineola.
- Port Jefferson Branch customers, please change at Hicksville or Huntington.
- West Hempstead Branch customers, please change at Valley Stream for bus service.
- All service is operating normally on the Port Washington Branch.MTA New York City Transit and MTA Long Island Bus are honoring LIRR tickets. The MTA Police, in conjunction with the NYPD and Amtrak Police, will work to reduce overcrowding at Penn Station.
Good luck with your commutes! Let know how it goes in the comments.
From 12:46 p.m.: Let's hope this gets cleared up by the evening commute: Long Island Rail Road service is suspended in both directions on ALL lines except Port Washington! According to Newsday, "The signal malfunction began at 10:40 a.m. and it was unclear when the problem would be resolved, according to LIRR spokesman Rich Mendelson. He said the malfunction was not weather-related."
In fact, the malfunction is related to a fire: Apparently there was an electrical fire at a switching tower! WCBS 2 says, "Westbound passengers headed for Penn Station will have to take a subway into Manhattan from Jamaica. Eastbound customers should take a subway out of Penn Station to the Jamaica Station to get to their LIRR train," but the MTA website says all the lines (except Port Washington) are suspended. And NYC Transit is honoring LIRR passes on subways between Manhattan and Jamaica, Brooklyn.
Check here for more updates.
