A minor collision involving two Long Island Rail Road maintenance cars in Mineola snarled evening commutes on Friday, the railroad said.
The cars “came into contact” near the Main Street railroad crossing at 12:39 p.m., leaving one of the workers on board with minor injuries, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said in an email.
The collision blocked train traffic on one of the LIRR’s Main Line tracks, causing cancellations and delays averaging 30 to 45 minutes in both directions Friday evening, according to LIRR alerts.
Service was on or close to schedule as of 9:03 p.m. that night.
The cars were removed and full service was restored on both tracks as of 5:44 p.m., Donovan said in an email.
The cars had been stuck but did not appear to be derailed, said Joseph Scalero, the Mineola village clerk.
The Mineola Fire Department and the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps removed the LIRR worker, who suffered a neck injury, from the train, said Paul Cusato, a Village of Mineola trustee and firefighter who was at the scene.
No customers or trains were involved in the incident, Donovan said.
The LIRR had added six westbound and 10 eastbound trains to its Friday schedule for travelers going to and from the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade.
