LIRR's 350 ticket machines malfunction

A systemwide malfunction of the Long Island Rail Road's 350 ticket vending machines Thursday forced some morning rush-hour customers to pay cash for tickets -- or potentially be billed onboard by conductors.

The machines would accept only cash from about 7 a.m. until the problem was fixed after 9 a.m., LIRR spokesman Salvatore Arena said.

"It definitely impacted the morning, and obviously would have been an inconvenience for anyone who planned to buy a ticket with either a credit card or debit card," Arena said.

Because "the vast, vast majority" of morning train riders are monthly ticket holders, he said the problem affected relatively few customers. Those who did not have cash to buy a ticket from a machine and were not at a station that had an open ticket window should have been issued a bill by a train conductor for the fare plus any applicable fee for onboard purchases.

Those customers can file a grievance with the LIRR, proving that ticket machines were not working at their station of origin at the time of their trip, and receive a refund for the extra fee, Arena said.

The LIRR is investigating the cause of the machine malfunction. Arena said "some causes have been ruled out, and others are being researched." He said the LIRR expects to have a better understanding of what went wrong within the next few days.

Thursday wasn't the first time the LIRR's machines have malfunctioned and left riders who were without cash unable to buy a ticket. On Jan. 2, a similar problem knocked out all ticket vending machines on the LIRR and sister commuter railroad Metro-North for several hours.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

Arena said the LIRR does not know whether Thursday's malfunction was related to any past problems.