LIRR riders less satisfied with service than a year ago, but feel safer, survey says

Long Island Rail Road customers, fed up with rising ticket prices and delays, said they are less satisfied now with the LIRR's service than at any time since 2011, according to a new survey.

In the LIRR's annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, released Monday, 82 percent of customers reported being satisfied overall with the railroad. The figure is down from 84 percent last year, and is the lowest overall satisfaction rate since 2011, when just 78 percent of riders said they were satisfied. That survey was taken after the LIRR enacted deep service cuts months earlier.

"It's really hard to swallow," said Kevin Egan, 33, a shipping manager who said he has seen his monthly ticket rise about $100 since he began commuting 12 years ago. For his $280 a month, he said he routinely steps onto trains that "aren't clean" and endures lengthy delays at least once a week.

LIRR president Patrick Nowakowski, discussing the survey yesterday at a Manhattan meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's LIRR Committee, said several factors could have contributed to the lower satisfaction rate, including a 4 percent fare hike in March and surging ridership that contributes to crowding and delays.

"We need to continue to monitor that growth and try to focus on what changes we can possibly make to accommodate that growth," said Nowakowski, who acknowledged the negative trend in many categories in the survey.

Satisfaction dropped during peak, weekday off-peak and weekend off-peak hours, but climbed from 84 percent to 88 percent for "reverse peak" -- riders going east during weekday mornings and west in the evenings.

As it did last year, the Port Washington line -- the only LIRR branch that does not go through Jamaica -- scored the highest satisfaction rate, at 87 percent. As it did last year, the Port Jefferson line scored the lowest, a drop of 6 percentage points to 73 percent from 2014.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

The two largest score increases came in the categories of MTA Police presence, which climbed from 80 percent to 84 percent, and personal security, which went up to 82 percent from 80 percent. As usual, LIRR employees achieved the highest grades in the survey, with conductors getting a 92 for their courtesy and responsiveness.

Satisfaction with the cleanliness of train restrooms, which usually score the lowest, plummeted to 31 percent from 55 percent last year.

LIRR officials noted that the restrooms are typically not cleaned while they are in service, and so while they may begin their runs spotless, that can change the longer they are out.

The LIRR said it surveyed 15,241 riders on 112 different trains. The margin of error is 1.2 percentage points.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.