They say the injuries are believed to be non life-threatening after the incident near New Hyde Park, Nassau County.
A Long Island Rail Road derailed after 21:00 local time on Saturday (01:00 GMT Sunday).
Reports say it hit a work train about 20 miles (32km) east of New York's Manhattan borough.
Last month, a woman was killed and 108 other people were injured after a commuter train crashed into a railway station in New Jersey.
