Fewer LIRR delays, less-crowded trains in week three; some riders say service remains flawed
The service changes enacted in the third week of the LIRR’s new service plan have improved problems with crowding and delays, and the numbers back that up, the railroad’s chief said Thursday.
But some riders say the Long Island Rail Road’s new operation remains deeply flawed, causing long waits and uncomfortable commutes.
After the latest round of schedule adjustments took effect Monday, no trains have operated over 100% capacity, according to LIRR interim president Catherine Rinaldi. In addition, Rinaldi said, on-time performance has rebounded to more than 90% on most days, after dipping to as low as 84% during the first week of full service to Grand Central Madison.
Ridership has also increased, with the railroad having its two busiest days of the year on March 7 and Wednesday. On both days, the railroad carried more than 205,000 passengers, the most since the day before Thanksgiving — typically one of the LIRR’s busiest of the year.
Rinaldi, in an interview Thursday, said there are other signs of improvement, including more frequent arrivals and departures of the new Brooklyn shuttle, and less crowding and better customer flow at Jamaica station, a key transfer point.
“I think we’ve made good progress with respect to some of the pressing issues that we experienced in the first few days of the service,” said Rinaldi, who had enacted several recent changes in the railroad’s operation, including rerouting some Grand Central trains to Penn Station and adding trains on the Brooklyn line.
“I feel like what we put into place this Monday helped, but I don’t want anybody to have the impression that we’re patting ourselves on the back and everything is perfect. We know there’s still work to be done," she added.
At Mineola station Friday afternoon, LIRR riders traveling outside of the rush hour praised the new service plan for giving them new options.
"It's a good addition, because this way you can just go to Grand Central. You don't have to go to Penn Station," said Anthony House, 57, of Central Islip, who travels through Grand Central on his way to visiting family in Connecticut. "It's just better."
Some riders say the worst of the problems in the new LIRR are baked into its new approach and can’t be addressed by minor tweaks.
Chad Leo, of Albertson, said the new schedules force him to be either 45 minutes early or 20 minutes late to his restaurant job near Penn Station.
"If it benefits somebody, I'm happy for them. But, the only thing is, it shouldn't be at somebody else's cost. We all pay the same fee," Leo, 48, said. "Either they come up with a plan to service everybody, or they can't service everybody."
Glen Cove commuter Elizabeth Ames said she arrived at Jamaica around 10 p.m. Wednesday, only to watch her connecting train to Oyster Bay pull away just as she and her fellow passengers disembarked. The railroad eliminated timed transfers in its new operation, meaning trains will not wait for connections.
With an hour wait for the next train, Ames took a train to Mineola, where she paid $50 for a cab and arrived home around midnight.
“If that’s how it’s supposed to work from now on, it’s not working,” Ames said in an interview Thursday. “I don’t care if it’s the [new] system. The system has to be fixed. It’s not fulfilling the promise of the service.”
LIRR Commuter Council chairman Gerard Bringmann said that, while "improvements have been made" since the launch of the new schedules on Feb. 27, service is "still not near where" riders want it to be.
One key problem, Bringmann said, is that the LIRR underestimated how many trains it would need for its expanded service, and is "now playing railcar Jenga to try and relieve the overcrowding we're still seeing on certain trains."
Rinaldi said the railroad may continue to adjust train lengths by removing cars from some trains and adding them to others, to address demand, and make other adjustments to address gaps in service.
But, she said, larger changes to the railroad's operation likely won't come until its next schedule revision. Rinaldi would not say when that would be, but the LIRR's current schedule is set to remain in place at least through May 21.
In that next schedule, Rinaldi said, the railroad would look to "take some lessons learned from how people are traveling now and potentially do something a little beyond what we're currently doing."
The service changes enacted in the third week of the LIRR’s new service plan have improved problems with crowding and delays, and the numbers back that up, the railroad’s chief said Thursday.
But some riders say the Long Island Rail Road’s new operation remains deeply flawed, causing long waits and uncomfortable commutes.
After the latest round of schedule adjustments took effect Monday, no trains have operated over 100% capacity, according to LIRR interim president Catherine Rinaldi. In addition, Rinaldi said, on-time performance has rebounded to more than 90% on most days, after dipping to as low as 84% during the first week of full service to Grand Central Madison.
Ridership has also increased, with the railroad having its two busiest days of the year on March 7 and Wednesday. On both days, the railroad carried more than 205,000 passengers, the most since the day before Thanksgiving — typically one of the LIRR’s busiest of the year.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Adjustments made to the LIRR's new service plan have helped ease crowding and delays, according to the railroad's interim president, who pointed to improved on-time performance and train capacity data as evidence of the improvements.
- The LIRR has added cars to some trains, rerouted some Grand Central trains back to Penn Station, and increased the frequency of new shuttle trains on the Brooklyn line. More significant adjustments likely won't come until the next schedules are published after May 21.
- Despite the fixes, some commuters say there remain major problems in the LIRR's new operation, including too few train cars and the elimination of timed transfers, which has resulted in missed connections and long waits.
Rinaldi, in an interview Thursday, said there are other signs of improvement, including more frequent arrivals and departures of the new Brooklyn shuttle, and less crowding and better customer flow at Jamaica station, a key transfer point.
“I think we’ve made good progress with respect to some of the pressing issues that we experienced in the first few days of the service,” said Rinaldi, who had enacted several recent changes in the railroad’s operation, including rerouting some Grand Central trains to Penn Station and adding trains on the Brooklyn line.
“I feel like what we put into place this Monday helped, but I don’t want anybody to have the impression that we’re patting ourselves on the back and everything is perfect. We know there’s still work to be done," she added.
At Mineola station Friday afternoon, LIRR riders traveling outside of the rush hour praised the new service plan for giving them new options.
"It's a good addition, because this way you can just go to Grand Central. You don't have to go to Penn Station," said Anthony House, 57, of Central Islip, who travels through Grand Central on his way to visiting family in Connecticut. "It's just better."
Some riders say the worst of the problems in the new LIRR are baked into its new approach and can’t be addressed by minor tweaks.
Chad Leo, of Albertson, said the new schedules force him to be either 45 minutes early or 20 minutes late to his restaurant job near Penn Station.
"If it benefits somebody, I'm happy for them. But, the only thing is, it shouldn't be at somebody else's cost. We all pay the same fee," Leo, 48, said. "Either they come up with a plan to service everybody, or they can't service everybody."
Glen Cove commuter Elizabeth Ames said she arrived at Jamaica around 10 p.m. Wednesday, only to watch her connecting train to Oyster Bay pull away just as she and her fellow passengers disembarked. The railroad eliminated timed transfers in its new operation, meaning trains will not wait for connections.
With an hour wait for the next train, Ames took a train to Mineola, where she paid $50 for a cab and arrived home around midnight.
“If that’s how it’s supposed to work from now on, it’s not working,” Ames said in an interview Thursday. “I don’t care if it’s the [new] system. The system has to be fixed. It’s not fulfilling the promise of the service.”
LIRR Commuter Council chairman Gerard Bringmann said that, while "improvements have been made" since the launch of the new schedules on Feb. 27, service is "still not near where" riders want it to be.
One key problem, Bringmann said, is that the LIRR underestimated how many trains it would need for its expanded service, and is "now playing railcar Jenga to try and relieve the overcrowding we're still seeing on certain trains."
Rinaldi said the railroad may continue to adjust train lengths by removing cars from some trains and adding them to others, to address demand, and make other adjustments to address gaps in service.
But, she said, larger changes to the railroad's operation likely won't come until its next schedule revision. Rinaldi would not say when that would be, but the LIRR's current schedule is set to remain in place at least through May 21.
In that next schedule, Rinaldi said, the railroad would look to "take some lessons learned from how people are traveling now and potentially do something a little beyond what we're currently doing."
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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