By Connor Adams Sheets
Service has been fully restored on the Port Washington line of the Long Island Rail Road following the closure early Friday morning of the entire route after a man was killed by a train, according to the MTA.
A 39 year-old Flushing man was struck by a train just past the east end of the Auburndale station, according to Aaron Donovan, an MTA spokesman.
Service on the line, which runs from Penn Station in Manhattan to Port Washington, L.I., was suspended in both directions from 5:35 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. while investigators were on the scene, Donovan said. Investigators had not determined as of early Friday evening why the man was on the tracks.
“It’s being investigated as a possible suicide, but it’s still under investigation,” Donovan said.
The train ran with limited service from 7:15 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., after which full service resumed. While service was suspended, New York City Transit honored Long Island Rail Road tickets on the 7 subway train so commuters could travel without having to pay again.
Stopping the traffic was unavoidable, Donovan said.
“When there’s a disruption and both tracks are totally out of service for an investigation, they’ll pull into the nearest station and wait,” he explained.
The line was running normally as of early Friday evening.
Reach reporter Connor Adams Sheets by e-mail at csheets@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
