Long Island Rail Road riders can breathe a sigh of relief as they commute to work this week, as a potential strike by five of the railroad's unions has been averted for now.

That's good news for commuters, who were scrambling to make alternative arrangements in case of a strike, which had been expected to begin Thursday.

Nonetheless, the threat of a stoppage still looms. On Monday, leaders of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen announced they would seek the involvement of a presidential emergency board, a process that automatically delays a strike and allows for mediation and cooling-off periods. But that same union also announced that its members had voted to strike — just as four others already had done.

The situation puts riders in limbo, uncertain of what will come

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