LIRR train derails in Jamaica, injuring more than a dozen
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An eight-car LIRR train derailed on Thursday morning in Jamaica, leaving 13 injured. Photo via LIRR/Twitter
By Ryan Schwach
A Long Island Railroad train headed east through Queens derailed on Thursday morning, leaving 13 passengers injured.
According to the MTA, train 722 departed Grand Central Station on Thursday morning and derailed around 11:15 a.m., just east of Jamaica Station. All eight cars of the train jumped the track around 175th Street and 95th Avenue. Around 100 passengers were on board.
As of Thursday afternoon, the MTA said that 13 people had been injured as a result of the incident.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber told reporters that rescue personnel were on the scene quickly.
“We were on the scene within minutes, coming from both the Hillside maintenance facility and Jamaica,” he said. “So from both ends, you had Long Island Railroad personnel on the scene and they assisted the train crew in dealing with passengers.”
Firefighters were also on the scene quickly, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh said.
“This is a complex and dangerous operation but they were able to get to work quickly,” she said.
Lieber said that passengers were “shaken up” but confirmed that the injuries were minor. Kavanaugh specified that nine injuries were minor, two were moderate and two were more serious but not life threatening.
The cause of the derailment is not yet known. Officials say that the investigation is still in its early stages, but that it has been determined that “speed was not a factor.”
The derailment occurred in the “Hall interlocking,” which is the network of signals and tracks that allow trains to switch tracks and to switch direction.
Lieber says that the MTA and LIRR are working to bring service back to the area.
“The rest of the restoration process is not merely a matter of derailing the train,” he said. “There is damage to the ties and other railroad infrastructure as well. That has to be addressed so we'll have to come back to the public about how long it's going to be until that track and our ability to provide full Long Island Railroad service is back in action.”
“Its impact on that infrastructure is now being assessed,” he added.
As of Thursday evening, eastbound trains were bypassing Queens Village and Hollis, and Q2, Q3, Q8 and Q110 buses were cross-honoring LIRR tickets for Hollis and Queens Village.
