Train service is suspended in both directions between Smithtown and Port Jefferson “due to a track condition near Stony Brook,” the Long Island Rail Road announced on Twitter. The railroad said that service should resume in time for the evening rush and that buses will be available for passengers whose destinations are the St. James, Stony Brook and Port Jefferson stations.
At 11:51 a.m., the LIRR tweeted “due to a track condition east of Smithtown, all Port Jefferson trains originate and terminate at Smithtown.” The track condition that triggered the service disruption was not described by the LIRR, but Newsday reported that the issue was a broken rail.
Due to a track condition east of Smithtown, all Port Jefferson trains originate and terminate at Smithtown. Bus service is being provided between Smithtown and Port Jefferson. Regular service is anticipated to be restored in time for the evening rush.
— LIRR (@LIRR) April 18, 2018
An initial announcement came shortly after 10 a.m., with the railroad suspending all train service between Port Jefferson and Huntington. In the interim, buses were provided for riders traveling between those stations. Service between Huntington and Smithtown has resumed in both directions.
The service change comes in the midst of planned service changes to accommodate Sperry Rail track testing this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday night this week, four eastbound trains and one westbound train terminate at Huntington and buses will be provided for service to stations between Greenlawn and Port Jefferson. The LIRR has warned customers to allocate 40 additional minutes of travel time for the overnight trains.
Updated schedules can be found on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority website.
The LIRR encouraged riders to fill out an online customer support form if they believe they are entitled to a refund because of the disruption.
Update, Wed, April 18, 6:53 p.m.:
Service between Smithtown and Port Jefferson resumed in both directions, the LIRR announced. Planned service changes for Wednesday evening are to still set to proceed as scheduled.
Normal train service on the Port Jefferson Branch is restored following an earlier track condition near Smithtown.
— LIRR (@LIRR) April 18, 2018
