(The following report by Andrew Grossman appeared on the Wall Street Journal website on September 2, 2010.)
NEW YORK — With Hurricane Earl expected to bring tropical-storm conditions to the region, the Long Island Rail Road moved to suspend service on its two East End branches starting Friday morning.
The service suspension means that thousands of New Yorkers who ride the Montauk and Ronkonkoma Branch trains to the Hamptons and the North Fork will have to find other ways to the beach for Labor Day weekend. Service will be suspended east of Speonk on the Montauk Branch and east of Ronkonkoma on the Ronkonkoma Branch.
LIRR officials are worried that high winds from Hurricane Earl will snap crossing gates, down trees and knock out power lines. “We don’t want a train with a thousand people on it that can’t proceed because of a broken gate or a broken wire or down trees,” said LIRR spokesman Joe Calderone.
The last westbound trains Friday morning will leave Montauk at 5:30 a.m. and Greenport at 5:39 a.m. The last Montauk-bound train will leave Penn Station at 12:39 a.m. Friday. Calderone said the railroad expects to resume service Saturday morning, but that could be delayed by storm damage.