LIRR will restore 14 rush hour trains following completion of Amtrak work

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Commuters board a LIRR train at Jamaica. Eagle file photo by Jonathan Sperling.

Commuters board a LIRR train at Jamaica. Eagle file photo by Jonathan Sperling.

By Jonathan Sperling

More than a dozen Long Island Rail Road trains in Queens and Long Island that had been canceled or rerouted amid Amtrak track work will be restored to their normal service on Sept. 3.

From Far Rockaway to Freeport, LIRR customers had suffered due to Amtrak’s work, which limited track availability into Penn Station. With the work now complete, 14 trains that had been canceled or rerouted will return to Penn Station, for a total of 274 rush hour trains.

“We’re very pleased that Amtrak expects to conclude their important work over this long weekend, which is right on the timetable they had provided,” LIRR President Phillip Eng said in a statement. “This allows us to restore full rush hour service for our customers this coming Tuesday, as we had promised.”

Five rush hour trains that had been canceled are resuming service, while six that had been rerouted to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn will return to Penn Station. Three trains that had been operating to and from Jamaica will be extended to Penn Station.

The restored trains include a westbound Far Rockaway Branch train that departs at 8:10 a.m. from Far Rockaway to Penn Station will return to service. Two eastbound trains, including a  4:42 p.m. train from Penn Station to Far Rockaway and the 5:32 p.m. train from Penn Station to Far Rockaway will be restored to normal service. The two trains were formerly operating from Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica, respectively.

Due to the work, the LIRR added five trains on the edges of both the morning and evening peak periods to provide riders with alternative options. Due to popularity, two of those trains will continue to run: the 5:12 a.m. train from Ronkonkoma, due into Penn Station at 6:05 a.m. and the 5:43 a.m. train from Freeport, due into Penn Station at 6:24 a.m.

For a full list of the restored trains and other LIRR service alterations, visit mta.info.com.