Long Island Rail Road commute disrupted by Amtrak switch issues
At least 15 trains were canceled, leaving passengers with a longer and more stressful ride home.
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It was a frustrating night for Long Island Rail Road commuters who saw delays and cancellations during the Wednesday evening rush hour due to an Amtrak switch problem east of Penn Station.
At least 15 trains were canceled, leaving passengers with a longer and more stressful ride home.
“It was just very, very bad. Took 20 minutes longer than originally anticipated,” said Manvi Golcha, from Albertson.
Others reported even worse delays. Paresh Huliya, of Mineola explained, "It’s usually 40 minutes back home door to door, but now it’s almost an hour and a half."
The most affected routes included the Babylon branch, which saw eight train cancellations, the Port Washington branch with four cancellations, and the Ronkonkoma branch, which had three cancellations. Additional delays were reported on the Port Jefferson and Montauk branches.
"I saw a lot of cancellations and delays on the board. Penn Station was definitely packed. People were just waiting for trains," said Billy Miecuna, from Mineola.
The MTA recommended that passengers consider traveling from Grand Central instead, with some riders reporting smoother journeys from that station.
Amtrak officials have indicated that the switch issue should be resolved in time for the Thursday morning commute.
