LIRR door malfunction delays up 79% in aging train fleet
The number of LIRR delays caused by problems with train doors was up 79% in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to railroad officials.
The door issues arising in the Long Island Rail Road’s decades-old trains are adding urgency to calls for the MTA to modernize its aging fleet. The railroad had planned to have retired the relics years ago but has been forced to keep them around because of delays in the procurement of new train cars to replace them.
The railroad also been hamstrung by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent decision to nix congestion pricing, and the billions of dollars that would have been generated to pay for new trains, according to transit advocates.
The increase in train delays attributed to “door defects” was revealed in the LIRR’s recent midyear operations report, which tracks trains’ capacity, on-time performance, and breakdowns — through June 2024.
According to the report, the LIRR saw 102 delays caused by mechanical issues related to doors, up from 57 during the first half of 2023.
On Tuesday afternoon at Atlantic Terminal — a frequent destination for the 1980's-era M3 cars — Brooklyn commuters said they were used to riding on the LIRR’s oldest trains, and were not surprised to hear of their mechanical challenges. James McMillan, 32, of Jamaica, said he’s been late picking up his son from school because of mechanical problems on trains.
“They should keep the trains up-to-par and up-to-speed, because a lot of people have timelines for places they’ve got to go,” McMillan said.
Asked about the delays, David Steckel, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR’s parent organization, noted that, overall, nearly 96% of trains have operated on-time so far this year, up more than 1% from last year.
“This means tens of thousands of Long Islanders have gotten to where they needed to go faster than before,” Steckel said in a statement. “This is a result of a comprehensive program designed to address every contributing factor to delays and identify solutions to resolve them.”
The midyear operations report did come with good news in other categories. Overall on-time performance — measured by trains that arrive at their final destinations less than six minutes after their scheduled time — was at 95.7% through June, up from 94.4% during the same period in 2023. Delays caused by signal problems were down 40%.
Still, LIRR senior director of transportation project planning Tom Kost, at a July 29 meeting of the MTA’s railroad committee, said door failures remain “one area where delays are trending negatively.” He said the problems have been concentrated in the railroad’s oldest trains — the nearly 40-year-old M3 electric trains, and the LIRR’s diesel coaches, most of which is more than 25 years old.
The MTA declined to provide more information on how the doors are malfunctioning, and on what's causing the issues. Kost said the railroad is scheduled to receive “replacement door control modules” to address the problems on the diesel coaches by June 2025.
“These necessary replacement components will play a pivotal role in reducing door-related issues once they are installed on the fleet,” said Kost, who only addressed plans to resolve the issues on the LIRR’s diesel fleet, which is comprised of about 179 cars.
The LIRR has not said how it’s dealing with door problems on the 100 M3 electric train cars still in service. Steckel said the diesels are the LIRR’s focus, because they are “overrepresented in the door failures.”
Lisa Daglian, executive director of the MTA’s Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, said the door problems illustrate that the M3 trains are “long past their shelf life.”
“[It’s]incredibly frustrating when you’re delayed because the doors are sticking open, the doors are sticking closed. And you missed your connection,” said Daglian, who noted that, the older trains get, the harder they are to maintain. “It’s an amazing amount of work . . . to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. But there comes a time when you can’t find those parts anymore, because they just don’t make them.”
The MTA has said the congestion pricing pause will cost the LIRR an extra $20 million a year in added maintenance costs for aging trains that otherwise would have been replaced.
Some LIRR riders on Tuesday said they had no issues riding the antiquated trains.
Setauket resident Joe Schmitt, who rides the LIRR between Ronkonkoma and Brooklyn daily, says he finds himself on an M3 at least a couple times a week.
“I don’t mind. When I first started taking the train, these are the ones I took, like in the early 2000s," said Schmitt, an iron worker and a self-described nostalgic. “I like the wood paneling. It’s like grandma’s house.”
Kost noted that the door problems on the Reagan-era cars contributed to the M3s’ disappointing “mean distance between failures” — a measure of how far trains typically travel before breaking down. At 39,601 miles, the M3s break down far more often than any other LIRR train car. Overall, the LIRR’s fleet averages 159,367 miles traveled between failures.
“Some of the difficulties were experiencing with the M3 fleet are linked to door trouble,” Kost said. “These types of defects typically require the crew to walk the train to identify the door.”
Transit advocates said the door issues highlight the need for the railroad to finally replace the M3 trains, known for their wood-grain walls, flickering lights and seats patched with duct tape.
The LIRR’s plans to modernize its fleet were set back by Hochul’s decision to pull the plug on the MTA’s congestion pricing plan, which was set to take effect in June. The program would have charged most vehicles $15 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan during peak periods. The MTA was counting on the $1 billion in projected annual toll revenue to finance about $15 billion in infrastructure projects, including the replacement of some M3 and diesel train cars.
In a statement, Hochul spokesperson John Lindsay said the Governor "has stated repeatedly that she is committed to funding the MTA Capital Plan and is working with partners in government on funding mechanisms while congestion pricing is paused."
Moments before boarding an M3 at Atlantic Terminal on Tuesday, Clarissa Hoffman, who lives in Manhattan and doesn’t own a car, said the door malfunctions are just one more reason for supporting the tolling plan.
“I might be one of a few, but I actually think congestion pricing is a good thing,” said Hoffman, a flight attendant. “And getting new trains, it really needs to happen.”
The number of LIRR delays caused by problems with train doors was up 79% in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to railroad officials.
The door issues arising in the Long Island Rail Road’s decades-old trains are adding urgency to calls for the MTA to modernize its aging fleet. The railroad had planned to have retired the relics years ago but has been forced to keep them around because of delays in the procurement of new train cars to replace them.
The railroad also been hamstrung by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent decision to nix congestion pricing, and the billions of dollars that would have been generated to pay for new trains, according to transit advocates.
The increase in train delays attributed to “door defects” was revealed in the LIRR’s recent midyear operations report, which tracks trains’ capacity, on-time performance, and breakdowns — through June 2024.
WHAT TO KNOW
The LIRR saw 102 delays caused by mechanical issues related to doors in the first half of 2024, up from 57 during the same period last year.
The door issues arising in the Long Island Rail Road’s decades-old trains are adding urgency to calls for the MTA to modernize its aging fleet.
Kost said the railroad is scheduled to receive “replacement door control modules” for the diesel coaches by June of next year.
According to the report, the LIRR saw 102 delays caused by mechanical issues related to doors, up from 57 during the first half of 2023.
On Tuesday afternoon at Atlantic Terminal — a frequent destination for the 1980's-era M3 cars — Brooklyn commuters said they were used to riding on the LIRR’s oldest trains, and were not surprised to hear of their mechanical challenges. James McMillan, 32, of Jamaica, said he’s been late picking up his son from school because of mechanical problems on trains.
“They should keep the trains up-to-par and up-to-speed, because a lot of people have timelines for places they’ve got to go,” McMillan said.
Asked about the delays, David Steckel, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR’s parent organization, noted that, overall, nearly 96% of trains have operated on-time so far this year, up more than 1% from last year.
“This means tens of thousands of Long Islanders have gotten to where they needed to go faster than before,” Steckel said in a statement. “This is a result of a comprehensive program designed to address every contributing factor to delays and identify solutions to resolve them.”
The midyear operations report did come with good news in other categories. Overall on-time performance — measured by trains that arrive at their final destinations less than six minutes after their scheduled time — was at 95.7% through June, up from 94.4% during the same period in 2023. Delays caused by signal problems were down 40%.
Still, LIRR senior director of transportation project planning Tom Kost, at a July 29 meeting of the MTA’s railroad committee, said door failures remain “one area where delays are trending negatively.” He said the problems have been concentrated in the railroad’s oldest trains — the nearly 40-year-old M3 electric trains, and the LIRR’s diesel coaches, most of which is more than 25 years old.
The MTA declined to provide more information on how the doors are malfunctioning, and on what's causing the issues. Kost said the railroad is scheduled to receive “replacement door control modules” to address the problems on the diesel coaches by June 2025.
A train about to depart Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Credit: Ed Quinn
“These necessary replacement components will play a pivotal role in reducing door-related issues once they are installed on the fleet,” said Kost, who only addressed plans to resolve the issues on the LIRR’s diesel fleet, which is comprised of about 179 cars.
The LIRR has not said how it’s dealing with door problems on the 100 M3 electric train cars still in service. Steckel said the diesels are the LIRR’s focus, because they are “overrepresented in the door failures.”
Lisa Daglian, executive director of the MTA’s Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, said the door problems illustrate that the M3 trains are “long past their shelf life.”
“[It’s]incredibly frustrating when you’re delayed because the doors are sticking open, the doors are sticking closed. And you missed your connection,” said Daglian, who noted that, the older trains get, the harder they are to maintain. “It’s an amazing amount of work . . . to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. But there comes a time when you can’t find those parts anymore, because they just don’t make them.”
The MTA has said the congestion pricing pause will cost the LIRR an extra $20 million a year in added maintenance costs for aging trains that otherwise would have been replaced.
Some LIRR riders on Tuesday said they had no issues riding the antiquated trains.
Setauket resident Joe Schmitt, who rides the LIRR between Ronkonkoma and Brooklyn daily, says he finds himself on an M3 at least a couple times a week.
“I don’t mind. When I first started taking the train, these are the ones I took, like in the early 2000s," said Schmitt, an iron worker and a self-described nostalgic. “I like the wood paneling. It’s like grandma’s house.”
Kost noted that the door problems on the Reagan-era cars contributed to the M3s’ disappointing “mean distance between failures” — a measure of how far trains typically travel before breaking down. At 39,601 miles, the M3s break down far more often than any other LIRR train car. Overall, the LIRR’s fleet averages 159,367 miles traveled between failures.
“Some of the difficulties were experiencing with the M3 fleet are linked to door trouble,” Kost said. “These types of defects typically require the crew to walk the train to identify the door.”
Transit advocates said the door issues highlight the need for the railroad to finally replace the M3 trains, known for their wood-grain walls, flickering lights and seats patched with duct tape.
The LIRR’s plans to modernize its fleet were set back by Hochul’s decision to pull the plug on the MTA’s congestion pricing plan, which was set to take effect in June. The program would have charged most vehicles $15 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan during peak periods. The MTA was counting on the $1 billion in projected annual toll revenue to finance about $15 billion in infrastructure projects, including the replacement of some M3 and diesel train cars.
In a statement, Hochul spokesperson John Lindsay said the Governor "has stated repeatedly that she is committed to funding the MTA Capital Plan and is working with partners in government on funding mechanisms while congestion pricing is paused."
Moments before boarding an M3 at Atlantic Terminal on Tuesday, Clarissa Hoffman, who lives in Manhattan and doesn’t own a car, said the door malfunctions are just one more reason for supporting the tolling plan.
“I might be one of a few, but I actually think congestion pricing is a good thing,” said Hoffman, a flight attendant. “And getting new trains, it really needs to happen.”
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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