A Long Island Rail Road train derailment in Queens will impact the Thursday evening commute and ”in all likelihood” also impact the Friday morning commute, MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said at a news briefing Thursday.
The MTA says eastbound trains are bypassing Hollis and Queens Village, as well as the LIRR employee-only Hillside stop, in the aftermath of the derailment. Commuters should also expect delays, cancellations and/or combined trains, according to the MTA.
According to Lieber, all eight cars of the train, which departed from Grand Central and was headed to Hempstead, derailed east of Jamaica LIRR station at 11:22 a.m. Thursday.
A total of 13 people were injured, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said. According to Kavanagh, nine people suffered minor injuries, two suffered more moderate injuries and two others were in serious condition. Kavanagh added that all of the people who were injured are expected to be OK.
According to Lieber, a rescue train was able to take passengers to the Jamaica LIRR station about 90 minutes after the incident.
Lieber said while the investigation is in the “early stages,” the derailment occurred in “haul interlocking,” a network of signals and tracks that allows trains to switch direction.
Robert Free, senior vice president of operations for the LIRR, said speed was not a factor in the derailment, as the train was operating at 54 mph, which is under the maximum allowed speed in the area.
Lieber said work has begun on the rerailing process.
“The restoration process is not merely a matter of re-railing the train. There is damage to the ties and other railroad infrastructure as well that has to be addressed,” Lieber said. “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 Rail Road service is back in action.”
A Long Island Rail Road tweet said work is being done to "reposition and move the train, inspect the tracks," and "repair any possible damages to our infrastructure."