Off The Rails

East End commuters can only hope that the Long Island Rail Road derailment in Speonk on the Saturday before Memorial Day, shutting down rail service on one of the busiest weekends of the year, was not indicative of how the agency will operate in the face of potential increased demand on the South Fork as a result of the recently launched Commuter Connection.Sure, accidents happen, and we can all count our blessings that no one was hurt. But the derailment of the two trains—which, according to unconfirmed reports, occurred when an empty Cannonball train returning to Jamaica Station had pulled into a side track in Speonk to allow a Montauk-bound passenger train with 30 passengers on board to pass—seems likely the result of human error. The train parked on the side track reportedly was too long for the track, and the resulting crash forced the engines off the tracks.

The use of side tracks—a second train track running parallel to the main track, allowing trains to pull over and wait for trains to pass—has been promoted by the LIRR as a way to expand service on the Montauk Branch and eventually make more trains available for the Commuter Connection. Under the current configuration, only one train can occupy the tracks at the time, either going east or west.

Funds were included in the state budget to begin planning the side tracks. Which is great news. Everyone wants to see the service improved and is hopeful that the Commuter Connection will alter the face of commuting on the South Fork.

But if the service is to take off, riders must be confident that the LIRR is able to avoid mishaps like the one that occurred last week.