Very limited LIRR service in and out of Penn Station following feeder cable fire
An electrical fire at New York City's Penn Station caused severe suspensions on the Long Island Rail Road on Thursday, with no estimate for when regular service will resume.
Amtrak and NJ Transit trains are also facing delays.
The MTA said very limited LIRR service was available between Penn Station in Manhattan and Jamaica, Queens, for the evening commute after the FDNY responded to a feeder cable fire in the East River Tunnel just before noon.
With repairs ongoing, LIRR riders were being urged to seek alternate trains from Grand Central Madison or Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, while NYC subways were cross-honoring impacted ticketholders.
The MTA said it was adding trains to help manage the evening commute. Platforms at Grand Central Madison were packed with commuters as trains that would normally terminate at Penn were diverted.
Fire sparks in East River Tunnel
Video from inside an LIRR train shows the smoky conditions inside the East River Tunnel on Thursday.
More than 80 fire and EMS personnel responded to the feeder cable fire just after 11:20 a.m., according to the FDNY. An Amtrak official said the fire was out by 1:15 p.m.
Riders were rerouted and faced frustrating delays.
"Big time, because now you gotta get to Grand Central, which you could either walk it or take the subway. So that's an extra half an hour, 40 minutes. Then you gotta wait for the other train to come," one commuter said.
"They said it was suspended in both directions so now we'll probably have to take the subway to Jamaica to pick up our train," said Linda Cezanne, of Ronkonkoma.
No injuries were reported due to the fire.
Amtrak, NJ Transit delays
Amtrak said its Northeast Corridor service resumed, but expected hour-long delays for the rest of the day.
NJ Transit was reporting up to 30-minute delays for trains into and out of Penn Station New York and said Midtown Direct service was being diverted to Hoboken Terminal. Rail tickets were be cross-honored by NJ Transit and private carrier buses, as well as the PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street New York.
