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Busiest LIRR branch suffers highest number of delays

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The Babylon Branch is the most delayed and least productive Long Island Rail Road line for commuters, according to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC). The advocacy group, which wants to reduce car dependency in the greater New York area, based its analysis on Metropolitan Transit Authority data and 2010 census information.

This announcement is part of the TSTC’s second annual Laggy Awards.

“This is coinciding with the release of the MTA draft capital program,” said Veronica Vanterpool, TSTC executive director. The MTA’s Capital Program, which was released last month, outlines $32 billion of planned improvements from 2015 to 2019.

Of that money, $3.1 billion is set aside for LIRR improvements like a new station at Elmhurst and another track at Ronkonkoma, which would reduce delays. However, the plan has a $15 billion funding gap. “But with such a large funding gap,” Vanterpool said, “there has to be additional funding [so] that investments on the railroad can be made.”

According to the TSTC, riders on the Babylon branch — which includes Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Baldwin, Freeport, Merrick, Bellmore, Wantagh and Seaford — lost $17.3 million in productivity and 389,055 hours of their time due to late and cancelled trains from July 2013 to June 2014. This is an increase from last year, in which riders lost $14.7 million and 335,086 hours. Babylon was still first in the Laggy Awards last year.

“It’s one of the branches with the highest ridership,” said Vanterpool.

Overall, LIRR riders lost $68 million and 1,540,347 hours. Economic productivity was calculated with census information about average income around each branch. Port Jefferson had the greatest delay per rider — 22.07 hours.

MTA spokesman Salvatore Arena said in an email that while the support for the MTA Capital Program is appreciated, the TSTC’s report “does not present an accurate picture of LIRR service. The reason the Babylon Branch ranks first is that if offers more train service than almost any other branch of the LIRR, which has a total of 11 branches. If you are running more trains on a particular branch, then that branch is likely to have more delays than branches with fewer trains.”

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