Some East Islip residents told News 12 that they are upset after Long Island Rail Road tree trimming crews cut down trees that were a buffer between the passing trains and homes in the community.  

Linda Difede, who lives on Washington Street, says the noise and debris kicked up from the trains is too much to handle.

She says the LIRR sent her a letter explaining that crews would be trimming some limbs to keep branches and leaves from falling onto the tracks. However, Difede says crews completely cut down most of the trees that were blocking the trains from view.

“We should have been warned, not just told some branches would be taken away,” she told News 12. “We should have been told that [the trees] would be destroyed as if it was a hurricane.”

In a statement sent to News 12, an MTA spokesperson says: “Fallen trees and leaves on our tracks are a cause of major delays that affect tens of thousands of commuters during hurricane and other storm seasons. That’s why we must manage vegetation along our right-of-way so it doesn’t interfere with the safe operation of our trains.”

The LIRR says crews will be removing overgrown trees and vegetation along train tracks from Babylon to Oakdale.