(The New York Times posted the following article on its website on April 14.)
NEW YORK — A series of mishaps in less than 70 minutes disrupted the evening commuting of tens of thousands of Long Island Rail Road riders yesterday. Shortly after 5 p.m., smoke was detected in one tunnel, Line 3, that is used by eastbound Long Island trains, according to a railroad spokesman. At 5:15, an Amtrak train broke down in another tunnel, blocking traffic in two tunnels, Lines 1 and 2, shared by the railroads. The Amtrak train was cleared to move at 5:25, and Long Island service was restored in Line 3 at 5:47. But at 6:10, another Amtrak train was disabled on Line 2 for nine minutes.
Most of the Long Island Rail Road’s 90,000 eastbound commuters were delayed up to half an hour. From 5:36 to 6:03 , the police closed off the railroad’s terminal at Pennsylvania Station to prevent crowding.