Thursday, October 1, 2026
Commuters can expect Long Island Rail Road service to be fully restored by Friday morning, LIRR officials announced on Wednesday, the third day of disruptions caused by crews working to repair damaged caused by a Sunday Amtrak derailment.
Significant changes and service reductions made to the LIRR schedule are expected to continue through Thursday, May 12, but the agency hopes to be back on track by Friday morning — something that depends directly on the progress of Amtrak repairs.
"The LIRR is in constant communication with Amtrak and is assessing Amtrak's ability to meet the deadline to restore full service Friday morning," the LIRR said in a statement Wednesday morning.
Among the repairs being made, Amtrak crews are replacing 275 damaged track ties. "Once repairs are completed, testing must also be performed before the tunnel can be restored for train service," the LIRR said.
The five-car train — not carrying passengers — that derailed while traveling at about 60 mph was cleared out of the tunnel on Monday evening, setting back Amtrak's plans to begin repairs on Monday afternoon.
Those commuting to Long Island on Wednesday night will face drastic service reductions as 20 of the 87 trains that normally operate out of Penn Station will be canceled and combined with other trains. This means trains will be more crowded than usual and waiting times will range from 10 to 20 minutes.
Westbound service will also be disrupted as trains heading to Penn Station will terminate at Jamaica.
The following eastbound evening rush-hour trains will be canceled:
Babylon branch
The 4:04 p.m. train from Penn Station due in Babylon at 5:05 p.m. is canceled. Customers can take the 4:12 p.m. train from Penn Station to Massapequa Park, which will be extended to Babylon.
The 4:34 p.m. train from Penn Station due in Babylon at 5:39 p.m. is canceled. Customers can take the 4:37 p.m. train from Penn Station due in Babylon at 5:52 p.m., which will make all combined stops.
The 4:52 p.m. train from New York due in Babylon at 5:55 p.m. is canceled. Customers can take the 5:03 p.m. train from New York to Wantagh, which will be extended to Babylon.
