Normal service has returned to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) today (November 12), with two river tunnels reopening following super storm Sandy.
LIRR will be operating a weekday schedule on 10 of its 11 branches for the first time since the storm.
Engineers have been working round-the-clock since the disaster to pump sea water out of the flooded tunnels.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said:Â “We are continuing step by step to bring back our public transportation system after the tremendous damage caused by Hurricane Sandy and the restoration of most of the LIRR service will help alleviate inconveniences caused by this catastrophic storm.
“I commend the hard work done by the MTA to get the regional transportation system running again so New Yorkers can get back to normal life as quickly as possible.”
The new weekday schedule represents an average 70 per cent of the LIRR’s regular rush hour capacity.
“We know this has been a very difficult two weeks for our customers, for all of Long Island and for the entire region,” said LIRR president Helena Williams.
“We appreciate the cooperation and patience our customers have demonstrated throughout this period. We will continue to work aggressively with Amtrak to assure full restoration of service as quickly as possible.”
