LIRR car doors signal trouble ahead

The Long Island Rail Road's M3 cars are relics from the 1980s. So it's no surprise there has been an increase in delays caused by problems with the doors on those cars.

While Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials emphasize the LIRR's relatively strong on-time performance — at 95.7% this year through June — and note that the door difficulties have affected only a fraction of train trips, the old cars' troubles are the latest reminder of the region's reliance on aging equipment and the broader lack of sufficient investment in new public transit infrastructure, especially rail.

The malfunctions also highlight the limited options the MTA has when it comes to train car manufacturing. The LIRR has long struggled with its vendor, Kawasaki Rail, one of only a few companies that can make this kind of car. Kawasaki failed miserably to deliver the railroad's newer cars, known as M9s, on schedule. Those delays forced the LIRR to rely on the older generation of train cars.

It's no wonder the railroad is now dealing with door malfunctions on cars that should have been retired long ago. The railroad is seeking replacement "door control modules" — but it won't receive them until June 2025. Or so the vendor promises.

"I want our customers to know we're not satisfied and that we're always looking to improve customer service and reliability," LIRR president Rob Free told the editorial board.

That should start with the LIRR's effort to procure an even newer set of train cars. Negotiations are ongoing regarding the number of cars, cost, timetable, standards, and potential penalties for delays, MTA officials said. The agency must show it has learned from the past. A new contract should have strict deadlines with stiff penalties for delays. It should include significant clawback provisions if things go wrong and ample oversight throughout the manufacturing process. Even with its limited choice of vendors, the MTA must keep the upper hand.

The MTA's need for new equipment could be affected by Gov. Kathy Hochul's decision to pause congestion pricing. A failure to replace or restore the anticipated revenue from the tolling plan could reduce the size of the new-car procurement. Other critical infrastructure upgrades and the MTA's so-called "state of good repair' work — the maintenance of signals, switches, tracks and more — also are at risk if investment falls short.

It doesn't require much imagination to see what would happen next. New Yorkers just need to look across the Hudson River where Amtrak and New Jersey Transit infrastructure troubles have led to delays, service suspensions and other rider headaches that show what happens when disinvestment and neglect of rail infrastructure becomes the norm.

That best not happen here. Long Island's economy and its commuters depend on a vibrant, high-performing LIRR with up-to-date equipment and trains. The agency must do whatever it can to avoid trouble on the tracks.