(Newsday.com posted the following article by Joie Tyrrell and Keiko Morris on February 8.)
NEW YORK — A fire erupted aboard the 2:14 p.m. train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma Friday, forcing the evacuation of about 800 people onto the snowy platform at Merillon Avenue in Garden City.
The fire caused delays for many rush-hour riders to Ronkonkoma, Port Jefferson and Oyster Bay, according to Long Island Rail Road spokesman Brian Dolan. No injuries were reported.
Local fire companies responded. Service was suspended in both directions east of New Hyde Park with limited service restored about 4:04 p.m. Both tracks were back in service by 4:34 p.m., Dolan said. The cause of the fire, which ignited underneath the last car of the 12-car train, is under investigation.
In an unrelated incident, an LIRR train with electrical problems stalled at Jamaica Station, leading to delays of up to 30 minutes for rush-hour trains.
The fire ruined the afternoon plans of many commuters who were let off work early because of the snow. And it was yet one more reason some freezing and aggravated riders questioned a possible fare increase.
MTA officials might raise LIRR ticket prices by up to 33 percent. A decision is expected in March.
Wilfred Otero of Wheatley Heights was hoping to run errands but ended up shivering on the train platform in Garden City. He was asleep in the last car, where the fire was located, and was awoken by heavy rattling coming from beneath the car. The lights went out and the train was moving very slowly until it finally stopped, he said. Then the conductor told them to move to the next car. “As I was getting my stuff off the rack, I looked out the window and I saw flames,” Otero said.
Passengers had to wait about an hour for two other trains to take them to their destinations. As they were standing in the cold, Mitch Goldberg decided to voice his frustrations by holding up a quickly made sign with “33% Increase” written in capital letters.
Goldberg, of Commack, said his morning commutes last week were delayed at least a half-hour because of problems with trains leaving Ronkonkoma. The reason most often given, he said, was “cold weather.”
“This is the type of service that you get with their 33 percent increase,” he said.