LIRR Service Suspended

Long Island Rail Road service is temporarily suspended west of Jamaica due to inclement weather. This affects service on all LIRR branches. No trains are traveling between Penn Station and Jamaica and Jamaica and Brooklyn.

A spokesperson for the LIRR said that service should be restored as soon as the storm passes, but did not specify an exact time.  The most recent update from the LIRR website states that "there is extremely limited service eastbound from Jamaica at this time." The MTA is estimating it may take 90 minutes or more to  restore service as a result of multiple trees down around the area of Woodside.

The LIRR recently experienced trouble after a fire at a switching station near Jamaica shut down a large percentage of service in late-August.

Update 8:35 p.m.: the MTA estimates LIRR trains will be running in about 45 minutes.

Update 9:00 p.m.: speaking at a hearing on proposed fare increases in Garden City, MTA Chairman Jay Walder issued the following statement: "We've been able to restore some limited service on the Long Island Railroad from the Atlantic terminal, East. We do not have service out of Penn Station still; we do not expect to have service in or out of Penn Station for at least another 90 minutes. There are trees down on the tracks at Forest Hills and other places so we simply cannot run trains. We also do not have service right now on the J, M, L, or 7 lines in all of part of what appears to have been a tornado that went through the New York area, and we're grappling with that."

Update: 9:35 p.m.: according to the MTA website, service remains suspended between Penn Station and Jamaica. Crews are working to clear downed trees. There is no timetable for service to be restored.

Update: 10:00 p.m.: LIRR riders at Penn Station are being advised to take the  2 and 3 subways to the Brooklyn Atlantic Terminal, or the E train subway to Jamaica to connect with Eastbound LIRR train service. NYC Transit is cross honoring fares. LIRR service remains suspended between Penn Station and Jamaica and on the Port Washington Branch. NYC Transit service on the 7 Line has been restored with residual delays.

Update: 10:20 p.m.: the LIRR anticipates the restoration of morning rush hour service to Penn Station with some cancellations possible. However, service on the Port Washington Branch remains suspended and may not be restored by the a.m. rush.  Shuttle service will run overnight between Jamaica and Brooklyn.

Patch will be following the story as it unfolds and will alert you as soon as service is back up and running.