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LIRR discounts to encourage Islandwide travel

BY STEVE RITEA | steve.ritea@newsday.com

9:23 PM EST, December 12, 2007

The Long Island Rail Road will create new discounts for travel within Nassau and Suffolk counties, add cars to existing rush-hour trains, and schedule additional trains if positive budget projections hold true through next year, officials said Wednesday.

The enhancements are part of a larger effort by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to improve service -- even as the agency is predicting a deficit and has proposed a fare hike to avoid budget shortfalls.

While improvements on other MTA systems have yet to be announced, the LIRR will receive $4.9 million for 2008 and $5.6 million each year after, specifically for such service enhancements, if budget forecasts hold.

Among the improvements, LIRR President Helena Williams said she is considering an "intra-Island" ticket offering discounts to commuters who don't travel in or out of New York City.

"Long Islanders are very wedded to their cars, and we wanted to see what we can do to incentivize them to take the train and avoid local traffic," she said.

Details about the discounts are in the works, but the idea received a warm reception from state Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset) as long as the discounts don't necessitate a fare hike.

"If this is a proposal that they think would lower the fares and lower the cost for those who live and work on Long Island, that might be helpful," he said.

Gerard Bringmann, chairman of the Long Island Rail Road Commuters Council, agreed. He said Long Islanders who might be persuaded to use public transportation to get to work in Nassau and Suffolk are "an untapped market."

Bringmann also said the possibility of more trains and additional LIRR passenger cars at rush hour is "a bonus."

The railroad would work on expanding capacity by adding at least two cars to seven morning peak-hour trains and one evening peak-hour train. Each car holds 106 people.

The LIRR would add new peak-hour trains, including a morning train from Farmingdale, an evening train to Farmingdale, an evening train to Hicksville and an evening train to Far Rockaway.

Most of the additional service would begin next fall, assuming the MTA and LIRR remain in good financial shape, officials said.

The plan also calls for the LIRR to purchase 22 additional ticket vending machines for about 10 stations and improve its lost-and-found service.

Williams said the plan would offer a service similar to Metro-North's, which has a database of lost items and offers customers an online tool for locating lost property.