By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — New Yorkers looking to escape to the Hamptons via train on Friday are out of luck, thanks to Hurricane Earl.
The Long Island Rail Road canceled train service on two of its branches because of concerns the hurricane could bring down trees and power lines.
Train service east of Speonk on the Montauk Branch and east of Ronkonkoma on the Main Line was suspended for Friday afternoon and evening, the railroad said in a statement.
“We don’t want a train with a thousand people on it that can’t proceed because of a broken gate or a broken wire or down trees,” LIRR spokesman Joe Calderone told the Wall Street Journal.
The hurricane, classified as a category 3 storm with winds of 125 miles per hour as of Thursday evening, was expected to pass east of Long Island on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS placed the entire eastern end of the island, including popular weekend destinations like the Hamptons, Fire Island and Montauk, under a tropical storm warning.
Heavy winds and rains were expected along with big waves and dangerous rip tides on area beaches, according to forecasters.
The LIRR planned to resume service on Saturday as long as no damage was reported.
The canceled service comes on the heels of a week of delays and cancellations on the LIRR due to a cable fire that knocked out a switch on Aug. 23.
