By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo News Editor
PENN STATION — Commuters can expect several more days of delays and schedule changes on the Long Island Rail Road, even as crews work around the clock to fix a broken switching tower, according to the MTA.
The LIRR will be running trains on a modified schedule through at least Thursday, according to an MTA spokesman.
The continued delays came even as LIRR President Helena William told the Daily News that a $56 million upgrade to the switching system would be completed this fall.
A cable fire that knocked out the switching tower at Jamaica Station on Monday caused the transit problems, which left thousands of commuters struggling with long trip times and canceled trains for three days.
The switching equipment, installed nearly a century ago, uses levers and pulleys and has been compared to "something you'd see in a Flintstones cartoon," according to the News.
Since the fire, crews have worked continuously on the more than two hundred wires that could have been damaged. But a smooth ride was still days away, according to the MTA.
"We're making progress on the rewiring then there will be a testing period," an spokesman said. "It's a day by day thing."
The LIRR's 127 evening rush hour trains will be running at only 66 percent capacity, on Wednesday, according to the MTA.
