Power outage that snarled LIRR commutes heightens tunnel repair feud between MTA, Amtrak
An LIRR train travels east inside an East River Tunnel. Credit: Craig Ruttle
A power issue inside one of the East River tunnels snarled the morning rush hour for tens of thousands of Long Island Rail Road commuters, and heightened concerns over the potential impact of Amtrak’s plan to shut one of the tunnels down for much of the next three years for repairs — a plan that is now further delayed.
The issue caused widespread delays and cancellations on most of the LIRR’s branches throughout the Wednesday morning commute, and led the railroad to reroute six trains away from Penn Station to Grand Central Madison instead.
"What took place this morning is unacceptable. It should not happen and cannot happen again," LIRR president Robert Free told reporters at Penn Station on Wednesday, adding that the episode "was the result of poor maintenance practices by Amtrak."
Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said the problems stemmed from planned overnight repairs in Queens, just outside one of the four East River tunnels, that "went over the outage period." The issue was resolved by late morning, and full LIRR service was restored at Penn Station in time for the evening commute.
"We apologize for the inconvenience to Long Island Rail Road passengers," Abrams said.
The latest Amtrak-related LIRR service disruptions — coming a week after a Penn Station tunnel fire also impacted Long Island commuters — highlighted concerns raised by MTA and elected officials over Amtrak’s plan to keep one of the four tunnels out of service into late 2027, at the earliest. Amtrak has said the shutdown is necessary as it carries out repairs to two tunnels damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The LIRR, along with other Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials, Hochul, and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, has urged Amtrak to reconsider the tunnel closures, which they have said will reduce capacity at Penn Station and cause major disruptions for the LIRR if an unplanned problem arises with one tunnel already out of service. They’ve pushed Amtrak to carry out the repairs on nights and weekends, allowing the tunnels to remain in service during the critical weekday rush hours.
"This is exactly what we have been concerned with and warning our customers and Amtrak about," Free said about the latest Amtrak-related service disruption. "I don't know how much more we can take, and it's unacceptable, and we're here today to say that we cannot stand for it."
Abrams, the Amtrak spokesman, said Wednesday’s LIRR service problem, which grew out of overnight repair work, "illustrates the risk of a nights and weekends approach to complex projects, and why the full tube closure of the East River Tunnel is the most efficient method and least disruptive to service and customers."
"Unexpected service disruptions, like the one experienced today, are far worse than a well coordinated and well planned approach," Abrams said.
Free said he was "baffled" over how Amtrak could use its own "poor quality control" to make its case for the need for a full-time tunnel shutdown.
The extended tunnel closures were scheduled to begin Friday, but Amtrak announced Tuesday that the work would be delayed until May 23.
Amtrak president Roger Harris, in a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday, blamed the postponement on an LIRR infrastructure project that must first be completed. Harris said that project, "which was already six months late, is once again experiencing delays and will not be completed on schedule."
LIRR officials said Wednesday that the project, which aims to streamline Amtrak train movements in the busy Harold Interlocking in Queens, is running late because Amtrak has not provided he necessary assistance with its overhead wires.
LIRR spokesman Aaron Donovan said, in recent meetings about the tunnel repairs between Amtrak and the LIRR, "it was clear that Amtrak was unprepared for this work and unready to begin, and all of our concerns were reinforced."
"That’s why it’s even more concerning that they are now looking to shift blame to others," Donovan said.
With John Valenti
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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