The Long Island Rail Road will begin operating on its weekday schedule, two weeks after Hurricane Sandy. Temporary repairs on two of Amtrak’s East River Tunnels, which were flooded during the storm, allow the tunnels to be reopened but force the MTA to reduce the number of trains that can enter Penn Station. Some of the regularly scheduled morning and evening peak trains will be canceled or diverted due to these repairs.
As Amtrak continues to work on its permanent repairs, 19 of its regular 143 morning rush hour trains have been canceled or diverted to an alternative terminal. Long Beach train service remains scheduled, but weekday busses will be available between Long Beach and Lynbrook, where riders can make train connections.
Bus service begins at 5 a.m., and runs in a loop with stops at Island Park, Oceanside, East Rockaway, and Centre Avenue, until 5:30 p.m. as per the City of Long Beach curfew. After 5:30 p.m. busses continue to operate between Island Park and Lynbrook until 9 p.m. Busses take approximately 45 minutes to travel between Long Beach and Lynbrook.
Morning peak cancellations/diverted trains have been made for the following branches: Long Beach (replaced with bus service), Babylon, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Montauk, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson/Huntington, Port Washington, Ronkonkoma, West Hempstead, as well as AM Reverse Peak Tran.
Evening peak cancellations/diverted trains have been made for the following branches: Long Beach (replaced with bus service), Babylon, Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson/Huntington, Port Washington, Ronkonkoma.
For a full list of cancellations and diverted trains, look here.
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