LIRR Commuter Council launches online rider survey

A Long Island Rail Road watchdog group wants commuters to share their experiences with the LIRR’s new service plan as the railroad considers future adjustments to its schedules.

The LIRR Commuter Council has launched an online rider survey that asks customers to “Tell us about your commute.” The council aims to share its findings with the LIRR, which is expected to roll out a new schedule at the beginning of the summer season.

The survey is available at pcac.org/tell-us-about-your-lirr-commute.

The LIRR separately is gathering its own feedback on its schedule from riders, but Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, which includes the LIRR Commuter Council, said riders “might be more comfortable responding to fellow commuters.”

“Whenever and however they choose to respond, they can be sure that the information gets to where it needs to go,” Daglian said.

In February, the LIRR drastically overhauled its schedule to accommodate its new Manhattan terminal, Grand Central Madison. The changes, which included the removal of several trains serving Penn Station, the creation of a shuttle service on the Brooklyn line, and the elimination of timed transfers, caused frustration, confusion and crowding on LIRR trains and station platforms.

Ahead of the release of the LIRR's next schedules, expected in late May, the council survey asks riders about how their commutes have changed since the new service plan was enacted, including whether their trip became longer and whether they have to make more frequent transfers. It also asks what aspects of the LIRR’s new service riders like, and which “should be improved.”

The LIRR has already made several adjustments to its schedules since they took effect Feb. 27, including by lengthening some trains and rerouting some Grand Central trains back to Penn Station.

On Thursday, the LIRR announced several more tweaks, set to take effect Monday. The changes, which affect the Babylon, Montauk, Port Jefferson, Port Washington and Far Rockaway branches, include some trains making fewer stops, others making additional stops, and others having their departure times changed by a few minutes “to improve reliability,” according to the LIRR.

More information is available at mta.info and on the MTA’s TrainTime app.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

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.