LIRR resumes at or close to normal service after 5 rails break

HICKSVILLE, N.Y. (WABC) -- Five broken rails made for a long ride for thousands of Long Island Rail Road customers on Friday, but things are expected to be close to normal for the evening rush hour.

Two of the broken rails were in Westbury, one was in Babylon, one in Bay Shore and another was in Great Neck. They were all fixed by late afternoon.

Trains were only operating on one of two tracks for most of the day, crippling service early in the morning and causing delays.

At the height of the problems, up to 90-minute delays were reported westbound on the Montauk branch.

Scattered delays of 15 to 20 minutes were reported most of the day on the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Babylon branches as crews worked to make repairs.

All Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Babylon westbound trains continued to make local stops to Jamaica, and there was hourly service on the Port Jefferson and Port Washington branches.

At least 16 inbound trains were canceled prior to repairs being complete.

LIRR spokesman Aaron Donovan says railroad officials need to investigate whether temperatures in the single digits may have contributed to the broken rails. He says cold temperatures are usually a factor in these situations.

LIRR station waiting rooms will remain open around-the-clock to accommodate customers waiting for trains during cold and inclement weather.