At least 13 people were hurt when an LIRR train with about 100 passengers on board derailed in Queens Thursday morning, officials and sources said.
All eight cars of the passenger train derailed just east of the Jamaica Station complex at 175th Street and 95th Avenue around 11:12 a.m., according to sources and the FDNY.
Those hurt suffered leg and back injuries, sources said.
Two of the passengers suffered serious injuries, but most of the injuries were minor and all were expected to fully recover, MTA officials said.
The derailment was expected to impact the Thursday evening and Friday morning rush hours, MTA Chair Janno Lieber said at a press briefing on the incident.
“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,” Lieber said of the timeline for repairs.
All eight cars of the passenger train derailed at Hall Interlocking, just east of Jamaica Station, officials and sources said. CBS“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 added.
The train schedule will be updated by 3 p.m. online.
The train departed from Grand Central at 10:43 a.m. and was due to arrive at Hempstead at 11:37 a.m. before it derailed, the MTA said.
Seven people suffered minor leg and back injuries. CBSThe cause of the derailment was not immediately known but the speed, which was 54 mph at the time, was not believed to be a factor.
Each train has downloadable data on the car’s mechanics and will be analyzed as part of the investigation.
The FDNY was called at around 11:30 a.m. and helped get the passengers off the train, Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.
About 100 people were riding the train when it derailed. CBS“This is a complex and dangerous operation but they were able to get to work quickly and determine that they were able to get all of the passengers off the train to another location to be assessed by EMS,” Kavanagh said.
Passengers were transferred to an alternate train.
Eastbound trains were bypassing Hillside, Hollis, and Queens Village Thursday, the MTA said.
The Q2, Q3, Q8, and Q110 buses will cross-honor customers for service between Jamaica and Queens Village.
“I have been briefed on the @LIRR derailment near Jamaica Station in Queens and State personnel are on the ground assisting with emergency response,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
“We will continue closely monitoring the situation to ensure passengers and rail workers are safe.”
