Long Island Rail Road Fire Update
As a result of a fire at a switching tower east of Jamaica Station, all Long Island Rail Road service except for trains running on the Port Washington line is presently suspended. Service continues to be suspended since shortly after 11 a.m. this morning, and LIRR officials are not positive when trains will head east. “We are not going to be able to operate all of our trains in the evening rush hour,” Sam Zambuto, an LIRR spokesman
According to LIRR officials, as several as 240,000 travelers may be impacted during rush hour, and the agency will announce the alternate travel plans after this afternoon. MTA watchers, nevertheless, usually are not optimistic that tonight’s rush hour will be a smooth one. “You’re talking a major disaster here,” William Henderson from the Permanent Citizens Advisory Council towards the MTA, stated to the Times. “You are going to have a lot of people who are looking for ways to get home tonight.”
Henderson noted that the Jamaica Station, which could be reached via the E, J or Z trains, just isn’t developed to manage the large crowds that may descend upon it after this evening. Additionally, the MTA doesn’t yet know if service will be capable of run east of Jamaica tonight. View detailed update at MTA’s website.
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