13 injured as Long Island commuter train derails in Queens, New York

On Thursday morning, 13 people were injured when an eight-car Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train derailed in Queens, New York. None of the injuries are considered critical, according to the FDNY. 

Officials said at a press conference that the train departed from Grand Central Station, heading toward Hempstead before derailing east of Jamaica Station at 175th Street and 95th Avenue, just after 11 am. Passengers were transferred to a different train and taken to the Jamacia Station within 90 min of the derailment. 

While authorities work to re-rail the train, MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) Chair Janno Lieber said he expects rush hour commutes to be effected Thursday evening and Friday morning. He said, “The restoration process is not merely a matter of re-railing the train, there is damage to the ties and other railroad infrastructure as well.”

“We’ll have to come back to the public about how long it’s going to be until that track, and our ability to provide full Long Island Railroad service, is back in action,” he noted. 

LIRR Senior Vice President of Operations Rob Free noted, "There is some significant infrastructure damage in terms of the rail, it buckled, which looks like a result, but again it's preliminary." He continued, "The train was operating straight, it was going over the last couple switches within the interlocking."

Authorities said they are confident that speed was not a factor in the incident, as the train was doing 54 mph in a zone with a speed limit between 60 to 80 mph. 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on X, "I have been briefed on the @LIRR derailment near Jamaica Station in Queens and State personnel are on the ground assisting with emergency response." She added, "We will continue closely monitoring the situation to ensure passengers and rail workers are safe."

LIRR posted that "Eastbound trains are bypassing Hillside (LIRR employees only), Hollis, and Queens Village due to a derailed train east of Jamaica. NYC Transit is cross-honoring on the Q2, Q3, Q8, and Q110 buses for service between Jamaica and Queens Village. For more info see the TrainTime app."