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Overcast Omitted LIRR stops ease commute times
Since the first week of April, the Long Island Rail Road’s 5:56 a.m. train from Oyster Bay to Penn Station, and the 6:22 p.m. train from Penn to Oyster Bay have not been stopping at Mineola.
The change was put in place to ease the long commute times for North Shore residents,
The revisions come just over two months since the February launch of the new LIRR schedules that were adjusted to accommodate service to the second Manhattan terminal at Grand Central Madison.
When service was changed in February, commutes became longer, and train times were drastically adjusted.
Commuters like Glen Cove resident Heather Scardino Damphouse are inconvenienced by the new morning peak-hour schedules at the Sea Cliff station, and the cancellation of the westbound 7:59 a.m. train. Damphouse must decide between taking the 7:35 or the 8:31 a.m. train, making her mornings more stressful.
“My biggest issue is, during morning peak hours we have one hour between trains,” Damphouse said. “The removal of this has really screwed things up for me. I need to drive my son to school. Now I get to work 40 minutes late.”
Asked about the rationale behind the February changes, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority issued a statement that the overall number of trains on the Oyster Bay Branch had increased. Service changed from 28 trains per weekday to 32, an increase of over 10 percent. Off-peak, midday weekday service continues to run every one to two hours, and weekend service runs every two hours.
The two Mineola stops were eliminated after discussions among MTA officials, Assembly
man Charles Lavine and Glen Cove Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola, who sent a joint letter to MTA chairman Janno Lieber. The letter indicated that while the MTA’s East Side Access megaproject “is a game changer for many, the riders on the Oyster Bay line are being disadvantaged.”
Fugazy Scagliola suggested removing the two Mineola stops as a first step to improving the line. Since then, she has heard feedback that commuters are saving six minutes per trip since the two Mineola Stops were removed. Fugazy Scagliola said she understands that omitting the two Mineola stops isn’t as big of a change as most commuters would like, but she believes it’s a step in the right direction for improved service.
“There’s a lot more to go and we’re going to keep pushing for what’s right for people here,” Fugazy Scagliola said. “It’s not enough, but it’s a start. They’re listening to us and we got to keep pressure up.”
Lavine said he received input from passengers pleased with the modifications to the service.
“I have stressed with them the need for enhanced service, and for flexibility,” Lavine said. “And that’s the most I think, we can hope for at the present time, because I am sure that over time, their scheduling on the Oyster Bay line is going to change. My only objective is to make sure it changes for the better.”
Lavine released a survey on his Assembly website in the first week of April. The survey gauges commuter ridership, the length of their commutes and other commuter demographic information that he will present to the MTA throughout their discussions in the coming weeks.
Glen Cove resident Emma Louise said her main concern is the small number of available trains throughout the day.
“If I missed the 6:22 p.m. or 7:40 p.m., I knew I wasn’t getting home until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m.,” Louise said. “The Oyster Bay trains are usually always packed so more trains would definitely have riders, but it’s just super sad that our options are so limited still. I’ve been a commuter since 2017 and have seen almost no improvement.”
Although many residents are relieved by the slightly shorter commutes, Bayville residents like Brian Thomas disagree on the change.
“Skipping Mineola doesn’t save any time when the train sits stopped before Jamaica waiting to approach the platform,” Thomas said. “What we really need is a train at least every 30 minutes during rush hour and every hour the rest of the time.”
While Lavine and Fugazy Scagliola will hold more private meetings with the MTA, they are advocating for open meetings that include public input.
Commuters have tried having their collective voices heard through a petition on change.org, which, as of press time, had garnered more 2,149 signatures. It requests that the MTA create schedules that reduce travel time on the Oyster Bay line to Penn Station and Grand Central Madison during rush hour, among other suggestions.
In an email to the Herald, Interim MTA President Catherine Rinaldi said they are consistently looking at passenger loading and frequency of service. They are looking at who is taking what train, she wrote, and that the changes are not fixed in stone. She added that the MTA will adjust and adapt as they continue to move forward with proposed changes.
