Letter: LIRR's plans for Atlantic Terminal?
Signage at the Barclays Center directs Long Island Rail Road riders to LIRR Atlantic Avenue Terminal in Brooklyn. (Jan. 27, 2013) Credit: Charles Eckert
The article "On track for big changes" [News, June 9] included one sentence about what could become a multi-million-dollar giveaway by the Long Island Rail Road: "A new track and platform also will be built at Jamaica for all Brooklyn trains."
The LIRR is going to require all Brooklyn travelers to change at Jamaica and walk to a new Track 9 and Track 10 for travel in either direction.
After spending $93.4 million for the Atlantic Viaduct Project and more than $108 million for the new Atlantic Terminal, the LIRR should finally treat Brooklyn riders with the respect they deserve. But my understanding is that the LIRR, after completing the new platform construction in Jamaica, plans to sell off the western half of the Atlantic Branch from Jamaica Station to Atlantic Terminal.
The Barclays Center, home to the Nets and concerts, has dramatically increased the ridership to the terminal ["Ridership surges due to Barclays Center," News, Jan. 28]. With the Islanders scheduled to play there full time in 2015, ridership is going to grow even more.
Instead of enjoying the increased revenue from the ridership gains, the LIRR is planning to privatize some of its branch. This sounds like the LIRR's ill-advised sale of its freight department years ago. The LIRR must stop selling public assets.
William DeCarlo, Manhattan
Editor's note: The writer is the assistant national representative for the Transportation Communications Union.
