Commuters sound off on LIRR service issues

Delays, cancellations, old trains and other service problems have plagued Long Island Rail Road customers for years. But recently, there has been an uptick in the number of issues these commuters face due to a decaying infrastructure at Penn Station, the busiest station in the country.

Amtrak announced on April 27 that it would begin work this month to replace tracks and switches. The work will result in several tracks being out of service as repairs are made on both weekdays and weekends this summer.

“The simple fact of the matter is that some of the track and infrastructure in service today at Penn Station was built in the 1970s at a time when we were handling half the trains and a third of the customers that we do today,” Amtrak President and CEO Wick Moorman said in a statement. “This work needs to be done now.”

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), whose district includes the Far Rockaway line that most Five Towns commuters use, sent a letter to Michael Ranzenhofer and Jeffrey Dinowitz, who chair the state’s Senate and Assembly Corporations, Authorities and Commissions committees, respectively, requesting a joint emergency hearing on the recent problems with Penn Station and the LIRR.

“This is not just a matter of inconvenience; these delays and cancellations severely impact people’s lives,” Kaminsky said in the letter. “Every time trains are delayed or cancelled, commuters miss important work meetings or moments with their families.”

The Herald spoke with eight commuters on the Far Rockaway branch. The interviews were conducted on April 27 and 28 at stations along the line.

Far Rockaway
Jasmine Rosario, from Far Rockaway, said she lives across the street from the LIRR station. She has been riding the railroad on and off for the last seven years to get to her job on Wall Street. She recommended more trains. “It’s packed, you don’t get a seat and you’re a paying customer,” she said, adding that the MTA raised the fare “at the worst time,” in reference to the recent service issues.

Inwood
“When the train comes on time, it’s a good and decent experience compared to the subway,” Grant Phillips, an attorney, said. Phillips, of Inwood, has been taking the train for about the last two years. “I would like to see Penn Station taken from Amtrak,” he added.

Lawrence
Ken Zitter, a lawyer from Lawrence, has been riding the LIRR for the last 30 years. He said that the train gets him to work and brings him home everyday, but “they obviously have some issues at Penn Station that they have to work on,” agreeing on the need for more or new trains.

Heather Apperman, 21, and Sarah Spira, 20, of Lawrence, are students at Touro College. “It’s not very fun,” Apperman, who rides the train twice a week, said of the service issues. Spira, who would like to see Wi-Fi on the trains, said: “It definitely affects my travel.” The two both said that they have grown accustomed to delays and cancellations as part of their routine commute.

Cedarhurst
Lisa Zaslowsky, from Cedarhurst, goes into the city twice a week. She works in the jewelry business and has been riding the LIRR for the last 25 years. “The fares have gone up astronomically, the service has not,” she said. While she said that she has not been affected by the recent disruptions, she thinks that Amtrak could do something to improve the quality of service.

Woodmere
“The structure is old,” Rick Sturmer, an accountant from Woodmere, said of Penn Station. “It’s a matter of repair.” He has been riding the LIRR for 30 years and suggested that old trains be retired to reduce any issues that may arise due to aging materials.

Hewlett
“Every week, there seems to be an issue either going in or coming home,” Mitchell Zohar, of Hewlett said. He added that as the prices rise, customers do not see any improvements. “It seems to be going backwards,” Zohar, who has been riding the LIRR for the last 20 years, added.