LIRR Oyster Bay Branch schedule changes sit well with local officials

Elected officials from Oyster Bay are lauding recently announced LIRR schedule changes that they say will help address growing complaints from town commuters, since the railroad overhauled its service plan earlier this year.

The changes include, effective immediately, eliminating the Mineola stop on two westbound morning rush hour trains, and one eastbound evening rush hour train, on the Oyster Bay line.

Other changes, coming in September, include making the 7:01 a.m. out of Oyster Bay an express train, skipping several local stops, and providing a new Penn Station direct connection at Jamaica for passengers on the 7:17 a.m. train from Oyster Bay to Hunterspoint Avenue.

The changes came after months of complaints from Oyster Bay riders, following the schedule changes that came with the opening of Grand Central Madison Terminal in February. The changes meant longer commutes for some riders, fewer trains to and from Penn Station, and the loss of direct transfers at Jamaica. 

In the Long Island Rail Road’s most recent customer satisfaction survey, released last week, Oyster Bay riders gave the lowest scores of any branch. The 52% of Oyster Bay riders who reported being satisfied was down 24 percentage points from the last survey in the fall.

Assemb. Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove), who hosted a public webinar with Metropolitan Transportation Authority service planners on Monday, said he was “extremely pleased with these changes, which were accomplished through a monthslong continued dialogue with the MTA.”

Glen Cove City Council member Danielle Fugazy Scagliola said while the changes “aren’t perfect,” they are a “positive movement forward.”

“I would hope that commuters will see this as a start to continued improvement on our branch,” she said.

In announcing several forthcoming changes to the railroad’s schedule, LIRR interim president Catherine Rinaldi said they were based on “ridership data, real-time observations, and input from customers, building upon the earlier schedule adjustments and responding to many of the concerns that we have been hearing consistently from our customers.” 

"We're pleased to see the positive feedback we've received from the community regarding changes to the Oyster Bay Branch schedules that have led to faster trips and more convenient transfers," LIRR spokesperson Meghan Keegan said in a statement.

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.