Long Island Rail Road commuters faced widespread delays, cancellations and reroutes Thursday morning after a fire in the East River Tunnel triggered heavy smoke conditions near Penn Station, according to transit officials. The incident prompted major service disruptions across several LIRR branches, with trains either diverted to Grand Central Terminal or terminated early at Jamaica.
Fire breaks out in East River Tunnel
The fire was reported shortly after 11 AM local time inside tube No 4 of the East River Tunnel connecting Manhattan and Queens, sources told the New York Daily News. FDNY officials later confirmed crews were responding to a feeder cable fire with extension into a wall near Penn Station just before 11:30 AM.
Smoke conditions were reported on tracks 18, 19, 20 and 21, according to the report.
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More than 80 FDNY and EMS personnel responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.
Multiple LIRR branches impacted
The MTA warned riders to expect delays, cancellations and reroutes on several branches as emergency crews worked inside and around Penn Station.
Babylon and Huntington branch trains headed to Penn Station were instead diverted to Grand Central Terminal. Ronkonkoma and Port Washington branch trains were canceled, while Far Rockaway and Long Beach branch services experienced significant delays.
“All westbound trains to Penn Station will terminate at Jamaica,” the MTA’s website stated.
Service on the City Terminal Zone branch was also temporarily suspended.
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Subway cross-honoring in effect
To help stranded commuters, the MTA announced that subway services would cross-honor LIRR tickets within the City Terminal Zone.
That includes Penn Station, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer on the E line, Grand Central on the 4, 5, 6 and 7 lines, and Woodside on the 7 line.
The MTA referred requests for additional comment to Amtrak while continuing to issue travel advisories to riders throughout the afternoon.
