LIRR commutes upended by debris as Amtrak’s East River tunnel closure strains service

A piece of debris that fell off an Amtrak train in an East River tunnel snarled commutes for thousands of Long Island Rail Road riders heading to Penn Station on Tuesday morning, according to officials at both transit agencies.

An LIRR train struck the debris at 7:43 a.m., forcing the MTA to redirect service from Penn Station to Grand Central Madison. MTA officials said the issue was fixed by 10 a.m. In total, 50 LIRR trains were either canceled or delayed, according to the transit agency.

MTA officials said the delay was made worse because one of Amtrak’s four East River rail tunnels has been closed since the spring while crews repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. LIRR and NJ Transit trains also use the tunnels.

The MTA has repeatedly urged Amtrak in recent years to not fully close the tunnel and instead do the work on nights and weekends. MTA officials warned a 24-hour closure would limit the agency’s ability to redirect trains if one of the three remaining tubes went out of service, as happened Tuesday.

“This follows LIRR’s repeatedly stated concerns that in this environment any unplanned event could severely compromise Long Islanders’ ability to reach Penn Station,” LIRR President Rob Free wrote in a statement. “We are working with Amtrak to better understand what happened and what steps Amtrak will be taking to minimize the likelihood of a similar disruption moving forward.”

Amtrak plans to finish the repairs on the closed tunnel next year, and then to fully close another tube for repairs until 2027. Amtrak’s two other East River tunnels did not suffer significant damage from Sandy and will not need to shut down, according to the railroad.

“We will continue working with our partners to mitigate and address any potential unplanned service impacts that may occur,” Amtrak spokesperson Kyle Anderson wrote in a statement.

Amtrak officials have argued the tunnels need extensive fixes that can’t be completed on nights and weekends. During a tour of one of the tunnels earlier this year, engineers from the railroad showed reporters gaping holes where water leaks in. A worker brushed his hand against the wall of the tunnel sending shards of rusted debris falling onto the tunnel’s benchwall, which he said demonstrated the need for a 24-hour closure to complete the repairs.

Amtrak officials said they’d spent years preparing for the tunnel closure. In the weeks before the work was set to begin in May, the MTA began escalating its public warnings about the shutdown, warning it could cause painful delays for LIRR riders.

Tuesday’s LIRR delays came as the MTA has trumpeted improved service and growing ridership on the railroad. The LIRR reported nearly 300,000 riders on July 23, the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic upended commuting patterns in New York.