MTA blames track switch fault in Queens LIRR derailment

A misaligned switch at the Long Island Rail Road’s second-busiest junction was to blame for last week’s derailment that injured 13 passengers aboard a Hempstead-bound train, MTA officials said Friday.

According to an initial assessment, one of the switches in the Hall Interlocking — a large junction of tracks and switches just east of Jamaica Station — was out of place, despite appearing set on a dispatcher’s control board.

MTA officials attributed the discrepancy to “a previously unknown vulnerability in the switch’s wiring configuration.”

When the train, intending to travel straight along the tracks, hit the crooked switch at 54 miles per hour — 6 mph below the speed limit — all eight cars jumped the track.

“This incident has exposed a unique and previously unknown localized vulnerability that has been rectified,” LIRR head Catherine Rinaldi said in a statement. “This incident has prompted us to enhance our switch inspection processes to improve the safety of the railroad going forward.”

An MTA spokesperson said that all 1,045 switches in the LIRR system have been checked for similar wiring faults, but none were found.

MTA officials said Friday that the investigation into the derailment is ongoing.

“We’re continuing to work with federal partners on a comprehensive investigation to understand exactly what led to the issue with this particular switch, and we will take the necessary steps to ensure that it never happens again,” MTA chief safety officer Pat Warren said in a statement.

The Federal Railroad Administration is participating in the probe.

Thirteen of the 55 passengers aboard the train were injured Aug. 3 when the 10:43 a.m. train from Grand Central to Hempstead jumped the track while passing through the interlocking.

None of the injuries were considered life threatening, according to FDNY officials.