LIRR's West Hempstead branch on the chopping block

    As a series of public hearings addressing proposed mass transit reductions throughout the New York metropolitan region came to a close on March 8, concerned West Hempstead commuters anxiously awaited news of what would result.
    Changes were proposed for each of the Long Island Rail Road’s 11 branches, some as extreme as complete discontinuation of weekend service, as on the West Hempstead branch.
    Some riders questioned how much money would actually be saved making cuts on such a local level. They voiced their concerns during the hearings, which were held over an eight-day period across Long Island and New York City, and hosted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to solicit input on its proposed service changes, made in response to a nearly $400 million budget gap that was announced in December.
    The cuts in LIRR service would save an estimated $11 million annually and affect approximately 17,000 daily commuters, an MTA spokesman said.
    “We are trying to be as transparent as possible as we embark on a painful round of staff cuts and service reductions,” LIRR President Helena Williams said in a statement. “These service reductions will cause the least amount of inconvenience to the least number of riders. While these cuts are painful for employees and for our customers, they are necessary. The LIRR needs to be more cost-efficient.”
    Included in the MTA’s aggressive plans to reduce costs is the elimination of more than 600 administrative positions. The agency would also lay off up to 500 New York City Transit station agents.
    The changes proposed for the West Hempstead branch, which sees about 853,000 riders per year, were among the most extreme. Other changes, like those proposed for the Long Beach and Babylon branches — which annually see around 6.5 million and 19.7 million riders, respectively — consist mostly of eliminating or combining one or two peak trains.