The Long Island Rail Road has restored service on all branches after crews cleared tracks of trees downed by Tropical Storm Isaias and repaired equipment damage.
Aside from a few delays on the Montauk branch due to signal trouble east of Babylon on Thursday morning, the LIRR was mostly back to normal two days after the storm while the cleanup continues across the Island. More than 200 trees were cleared from LIRR tracks, officials said.
“Just a heroic job done by the LIRR workforce,” said LIRR President Phil Eng. “Our crews worked around-the-clock and their hard work resulted in a quick return to service. Given the strength of this storm and the amount of debris that had to be cleared from our tracks I really can’t credit each and every worker enough and I’m confident our riders feel the same.”
LIRR restored full service on the Oyster Bay and Greenport branches Wednesday afternoon following the restoration of the Babylon, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Huntington, Ronkonkoma, Long Beach, Port Washington and West Hempstead branches less than 24 hours after the storm.
LIRR service, however, remains reduced to 90 percent of its normal weekday trains while operating under its essential service plan since many commuters continue to work from home to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the plan, off-peak fares are in effect during the normal rush hour, but riders are still urged to buy tickets before boarding or use the MTA eTix app to avoid contact with train conductors.
In addition, masks are still required while riding the LIRR and anyone who feels sick is urged not to ride the trains.
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