LIRR back on schedule after widespread morning disruptions on Babylon Branch

With the main blitz of the morning rush-hour over, the Long Island Rail Road said it is finally operating on or close to schedule on the Babylon Branch — after a power outage near Rockville Centre caused widespread disruptions to rush-hour trains Thursday.

At least a dozen westbound trains and one eastbound train were delayed — with average delays of up to 30 minutes, the railroad reported on its website.

Another train was canceled.

While service was back on schedule on the Babylon Branch, the rail said the 8:32 a.m. train from Port Washington to Grand Central Terminal was running late due to switch trouble. And the railroad said commuters were facing planned stops — and, skipped stations — on the Hempstead Branch and in the City Zone, both due to scheduled track maintenance and improvement projects.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the outage on the Babylon Branch had the greatest impact on the morning commute, with a number of westbound trains affected by the outage.

The cause of the outage was not immediately clear.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.