LIRR strives for normal service

Riders on the Long Island Rail Road will find out Monday if they indeed have access to normal weekday service levels, following a fire last week affecting an antiquatedswitching machine near Jamaica Station in Queens, N.Y., that hampered service on 10 of the LIRR's 11 routes.LIRR had been running three-quarters of its usual morning service since last Monday, when a pair of track cables short-circuited near Hall Tower, setting fire to a 1920s-era lever-and-pulley machine that controlled track switches at Jamaica Station. The railroad ran about two-thirds of its normal afternoon service while repairs took place.The switching machine is scheduled to be replaced with a modern computerized system by late October. Transit officials said they believed the equipment upgrades would go on as scheduled, although the $56 million project is already behind schedule and over budget. Service disruptions are likely to occur again on the weekends when the railroad carries out the upgrade.As for Monday, “we’re anticipating a normal rush hour, a.m. and p.m.,” said LIRR spokesman Joe Calderone.In a statement, LIRR President Helena Williams said, “I appreciate the challenges our customers faced during the past week and I thank them for their patience during what has been a difficult time.“I would alsolike to thank the hundreds of railroad employees who worked around the clock to put the damaged signal and switch system back together while keeping service going and assisting our customers throughout the week. Once again, they demonstrated their dedication and commitment to our customers,” Williams said.