By:Andrew Coen
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is considering eliminating weekend service on the Far Rockaway branch beginning in 2006, as part of $467 million in cuts the agency is considering to close a deficit of more than $1 billion.
The cuts to weekend service on the Far Rockaway branch would mean no service on Saturdays and Sundays at the Gibson station, on Gibson Boulevard in Valley Stream, at Five Towns stations Ñ in Inwood, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere and Hewlett Ñ as well as the Far Rockaway station. The Valley Stream station, on Sunrise Highway at Hicks Street, would also be affected by the cut in service, but that station is currently served by the Long Beach branch as well as Far Rockaway.
ÒCurrently, Long Beach branch trains go to either Penn Station or Flatbush, Brooklyn,Ó said Sam Zambutto, an LIRR spokesman. ÒThatÕs not to say that that would stay the same years from now. ItÕs too early at this point to provide the number of trains that would stop at the Valley Stream station if the proposal to possibly eliminate Far Rockaway service [on the weekends] is carried out.Ó
The proposed cuts would also eliminate the West Hempstead, Oyster Bay and Greenport/Ronkonkoma branches in 2005. The MTAÕs plan to close the budget gap would also call for a 5 percent fare hike for all commuters.
MTA spokesman Brian Dolan said that the reason weekend service on the Far Rockaway branch is being considered for elimination is that those train stations draw a very small number of commuters on weekends, as well as on weekdays. ÒItÕs a numbers game,Ó Dolan said. ÒThere is less travel on the Far Rockaway branch than other branches. It is action we hope to not have to take.Ó
According to Dolan, the MTA will make a decision on the 2005 budget after hearings are held next month, and will decide on the 2006 budget sometime next year.
The proposed cuts to weekend service at the Gibson station would mean that the closest LIRR stations for area residents would be the Valley Stream station, which would likely be served by fewer trains, and the Lynbrook station.
According to Dolan, in order to avoid cuts, revenues Ñ and ridership Ñ need to increase. In addition, more tax reserves need to be found and a new funding stream must be identified. ÒItÕs early in the process,Ó he said, Òbut itÕs the MTA desire to alert people of its financial situation.Ó
State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), a member of the MTAÕs Capital Improvement Review Board, said, ÒWhile I appreciate the MTAÕs desire to preserve and enhance our mass-transportation system, they have proposed a ÔCadillacÕ plan, without any recognition of the costs involved or means of funding it. With blatant and growing structural deficits, vast revenue deficiencies and service reductions, this fundamentally flawed plan is both unsustainable and ill-considered.Ó
Skelos went on to say, Ò[The MTA] must go back to the drawing board, re-focus their efforts and develop a plan that addresses critical needs, preserves comprehensive service, protects riders from higher fares and makes sense.Ó
Village of Valley Stream Mayor Ed Cahill said his office did not receive formal notification of the proposed cuts in service for 2006. He learned about the proposal in the newspaper. As a resident of the Gibson section of Valley Stream, Cahill said he will understand, first hand, the inconvenience residents will face if the cuts occur.
ÒCertainly it will be a hindrance to the Valley Stream community,Ó Cahill said. ÒThe same as it was a few years ago when the railroad did away with ticket booths at the Gibson station. I will definitely be conversing with [the LIRR].Ó
Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside), whose district encompasses parts of south Valley Stream and the Five Towns, said that he would rather see the elimination of weekend service for the branch than see fare hikes. ÒIf the ridership numbers that the MTA reports for the Far Rockaway branch are accurate, then looking to cut service rather than raise fares may be a palatable solution,Ó said Toback. ÒI donÕt like to see services cut, but if people have to drive ... to use the train on weekends, then that is a better solution than raising fares.Ó
Other possible cuts for 2005 include canceling or combining low-ridership trains, closing some ticket windows, reducing by 25 percent emergency bus service provided when trains become unavailable and reducing car and station cleanings.
Other potential 2006 cuts include closing all but 10 ticket windows and eliminating 30 trains during rush-hour and non-rush-hour periods on weekdays.
Nicole Falco contributed to this story.
