NYC Amtrak derailment forces LIRR to cancel trains

NEW YORK – Part of an Amtrak train has derailed in a New York City tunnel, forcing the Long Island Rail Road to cancel 16 rush-hour trains out of Penn Station.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says two cars of the Amtrak train derailed at about 12:30 p.m. Monday in Queens on an eastbound track headed to Long Island that Amtrak shares with the LIRR.

There are no reports of injuries.

The MTA says that because the Amtrak train is blocking one of the tunnels the LIRR uses, the LIRR is canceling 16 out of 125 eastbound rush hour trains.

An Amtrak spokeswoman hasn't returned a phone call seeking comment.

The MTA says it's helping Amtrak to get the derailed cars back on the tracks.