LIRR still delayed after train gets stuck in tunnel during morning commute

Delays are still lingering after a Long Island Rail Road train hit debris Wednesday morning in one of the East River tunnels.

The trouble started at 4:50 a.m. when an NJ Transit train heading from Sunnyside Yard in Queens without passengers became disabled due to a mechanical issue. That problem was resolved just over an hour later, according to transportation officials.

Then, in a separate and unrelated incident, the LIRR train hit part of the infrastructure in the same tunnel. It became stuck during the height of the morning rush.

Trains heading to Penn Station were affected, with some being delayed or canceled and others being diverted to Grand Central.

"I was terrified" 

A rescue train came to the disabled LIRR train to offload the passengers. Some were put on a passing, occupied train, and others were put on an empty train that pulled up.

Commuters said the disruption caused them to be late for work, meetings and connections.

"As we came into Penn Station through the tunnel, I heard the crash, and I knew we hit something, and then it happened again, and that's when we stopped," one woman said. "I was terrified because we were inside the tunnel. We had no cellphone, no nothing."

No one was injured, transportation officials said. 

East River tunnels undergoing renovations

The tunnels are owned and operated by Amtrak. They are undergoing major renovations in one of the four tubes damaged by Hurricane Sandy. 

Amtrak and the LIRR say customers should continue to expect residual delays through the afternoon. 

Both agencies are also investigating what part of the infrastructure was struck and how the commute became so snarled. 

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