NJ Transit, LIRR Trains Disrupted After Fire Near Penn Station

(Bloomberg) -- New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road are operating with disrupted service to and from New York City on Friday, as crews work to repair damage from a fire on the tracks near Penn Station that occured on Thursday. 

NJ Transit warned commuters that midtown direct train service is being diverted through Hoboken until the end of the day on Friday. The commuter line’s rail tickets and passes are being cross honored by NJ Transit and private bus carriers, as well as several stations along the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s PATH trains. 

Meanwhile, the LIRR was running with “extremely limited service” to Penn Station and no eastbound service from the station, according to a post on X Friday morning. During the evening rush hour, most Penn Station trains will be rerouted, according to a social media post. 

The agency is warning customers of delays and cancellations to their commute and encouraged riders to pay attention to overhead announcements. 

The service changes follow a fire on the tracks on Thursday which snarled commutes into Manhattan. Both NJ Transit and LIRR service alerts said that Amtrak crews are continuing repair work following the incident. 

The disruptions come as LIRR workers prepare to strike this weekend, after labor unions and state officials failed to reach an agreement on a wage increase for this year. That would cripple the nation’s largest commuter rail line and leaving tens of thousands of riders to find other ways to get around Long Island and into New York City.

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