LIRR: Train hits vehicle on tracks suspending service east of Mineola

A Long Island Rail Road train hit a vehicle Friday night in a fiery collision that caused track damage in Mineola and suspended service in both directions, the commuter railroad said.

No injuries were reported, but Nassau police described the track damage as “extensive,” saying repairs were expected to keep the Mineola station out of service through the weekend. A nearby building also partially burned, police said.

But just after midnight, LIRR spokeswoman Nancy Gamerman said crews were still assessing damage and did not have an estimate on how long repairs would take.

She said the vehicle may have been stalled on the tracks but the driver got out before the vehicle was struck about 7:50 p.m. on Willis Avenue by a train that had finished its run and was not carrying passengers.

The train and vehicle were both removed by 11 p.m., Gamerman said.

The Huntington/Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay branches were suspended in both directions east of Mineola, and the LIRR advised passengers to take other branches.

Trains were being canceled all night, including at least 15 trains by 9:30 p.m.

At one point, the LIRR tweeted that the 11:17 p.m. train from Penn to Ronkonkoma would originate from Hicksville and make all stops.

The collision capped a day of LIRR headaches that started during the morning commute when riders on the Brooklyn line faced delays to and from Atlantic Terminal due to a Con Edison fire. Those electrical issues were fixed in time for the evening commute, but riders then had to cope with congestion and cancellations because of an Amtrak signal problem in Penn Station.

With Alfonso A. Castillo