MTA warns LIRR customers of delays, cancellations after 5 injured in Amtrak train fire

Long Island Rail Road commuters should expect delays and cancellations Friday morning across nearly all branches after five people were injured in a two-alarm train car fire, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority warned on its website.

While service to Penn Station was restored at 5:15 a.m., westbound trains on the Babylon, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Long Beach, Port Washington, Ronkonkoma, and West Hempstead branches showed delays and cancellations on the MTA website around 6:15 a.m. By 8:20 a.m., some branches were operating on or close to schedule, but Babylon and Ronkonkoma still were reporting cancellations and there were delays on the Port Jefferson Branch.

Trains on the Montauk and Oyster Bay branches were rerouted to Long Island City, including the 6:15 a.m. train from Speonk to Penn Station and the 7:16 a.m. train from Oyster Bay to Penn Station, but by late morning, the MTA said service was on or close to schedule.

Commuters should check the MTA website for updates.

FDNY received a call of a reported train care fire around 1:32 a.m. at Penn Station 31st Street between Seventh and Eighth avenue.

A second alarm was called at 2:43 a.m. and 46 units, or 141 fire and EMS personnel, responded to the work train car on fire on Track 11. 

The FDNY said out of the five civilian patients injured, two suffered serious injuries and were taken to Bellevue Hospital and three refused medical attention. 

The fire was under control around 4:05 a.m. The cause is under investigation, FDNY said. 

Amtrak told Newsday in a statement that all rail service between New York and New Jersey was temporarily suspended at 1:25 a.m. "because of a smoke and fire condition involving an Amtrak contractor maintenance vehicle in one of the Hudson River tunnels."

An MTA spokesperson told Newsday LIRR service resumed at 5:15 a.m.

Amtrak also issued a travel advisory, stating that its southbound service is suspended and northbound commuters should expect long delays.

"Due to unforeseen track and signal maintenance resulting from a now extinguished fire in the New York area, all services traveling south of New York are temporarily suspended This suspension is anticipated to be in place until noon at a minimum," Amtrak said on X. "Services traveling north of New York are expected to experience lengthy delays."

Amtrak said in a statement that service restoration to and from New York from New Jersey and points south is not expected until Friday afternoon. Service from north and east of New York is also temporarily reduced.

"Amtrak apologizes for the inconvenience and is providing rebooking opportunities and refunds while it works to return scheduled service levels," the statement said. 

This is the second time in two weeks service was suspended at Penn Station due to a fire.

Check back for updates on this developing story.