(The following story by John Valenti appeared on the Newsday website on June 23, 2009.)
NEW YORK — A non-passenger Amtrak train derailed in Penn Station overnight, forcing the Long Island Rail Road to cancel or reroute 10 trains at Jamaica during the Tuesday-morning rush hour, officials said.
No one was injured in the derailment, which blocked access to Track 13. It remains under investigation.
The incident left the LIRR without one platform crucial to rush-hour service, which was running on or close to schedule as of 7 a.m.
The railroad instituted “the diversion plan,” which is designed to reduce the number of trains going into Penn Station, LIRR spokesman Rich Mendelson said.
All of the affected trains were scheduled to leave their stations of origin between 5:56 a.m. and 8:35 a.m., according to the LIRR. Instead of taking those trains through to Penn, Mendelson said the plan has customers transferring to other Penn Station-bound trains at Jamaica.
On a daily basis, the LIRR runs 112 trains into Penn Station during the morning rush-hour, Mendelson said.
Due to the situation, the railroad has been advising customers to expect 10- to 15-minute delays Tuesday. However, Mendelson said, those delays had not occurred as of 6:45 a.m.
The affected trains are:
The 5:56 a.m. train from Babylon, due in Penn Station at 6:59 a.m., was diverted to Flatbush Avenue; the 6:57 a.m. train from Freeport, due in Penn Station at 7:40 a.m., will be diverted to Flatbush Avenue; the 6:58 a.m. train from Hempstead, due in Penn Station at 7:52 a.m., will be canceled at Jamaica; the 7:12 a.m. train from Hempstead, due in Penn Station at 8:03 a.m., will be canceled at Jamaica; the 7:29 a.m. from Freeport, due in Penn Station at 8:13 a.m., will be canceled at Jamaica; the 7:36 a.m. train from West Hempstead, due in Penn Station at 8:29 a.m., will be diverted to Hunterspoint Avenue; the 7:37 a.m. train from Babylon, due in Penn Station at 8:48 a.m., will be canceled at Jamaica; the 8:25 a.m. train from Freeport, due in Penn Station at 9:08 a.m., will be diverted to Flatbush Avenue; the 8:21 a.m. train from Far Rockaway, due in Penn Station at 9:17 a.m., will be canceled at Jamaica; and, the 8:35 a.m. train from Babylon, due in Penn Station at 9:37 a.m., will be canceled at Jamaica.