The railroad spokesman says witnesses, including another police officer and a rescue worker, saw the lights working immediately after the crash.

"The first day went reasonably well, with almost 90 percent of our trains on time," said a railroad spokesman, Michael Charles.

He had been replacing wooden ties east of the Jamaica station, a railroad spokesman said.

"It's still under investigation what the exact problem was," Sam Zambuto, a railroad spokesman, said.

According to a railroad spokesman, Brian Dolan, about 60 members of the unions will get a 25-cent an hour skill increase.

The rain eroded an embankment that supported the tracks, a railroad spokesman said.

"It's obvious that our customers recognize what's wrong, and we're trying to remedy the situation," said Michael Charles, a railroad spokesman.

The fire held up about 2,000 passengers for almost an hour, a railroad spokesman, Dan Brucker, said.

Brian Dolan, a railroad spokesman, said the train carries a daily average of 30 passengers and has been in service since 1988.

The increases were planned before the labor strife broke out May 20, a railroad spokesman said today.