Ferry from Glen Cove will enable NYU Langone workers to commute to NYC in case of LIRR strike
The Glen Cove ferry service ran for eight weeks during the so-called 2017 "Summer of Hell" during Penn Station track repairs. Credit: Newsday / Steve Pfost
NYU Langone is making its own plans to get employees to and from Long Island via ferry in case striking Long Island Rail Road workers shut down the rails on Saturday.
The Glen Cove City Council passed a pair of resolutions Tuesday night allowing New York Water Taxi to use the Glen Cove Ferry Terminal on weekdays to transport NYU Langone Health employees to and from New York City.
"This is something that may happen; it may not happen. It depends upon the railroad strike," Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said at the meeting. "We're trying to help Langone as much as we can."
NYU Langone Health spokesman Steve Ritea said Wednesday he was unable to comment on the matter. New York Water Taxi could not immediately be reached for comment.
Republican Councilman Kevin Maccarone said one of the two resolutions authorizes an agreement for NYU Langone Health to provide payment to the city to use the terminal. The second measure enters the city into a license agreement with New York Water Taxi to use the site.
Glen Cove for years has failed to launch consistent commuter service from the terminal, which was built with $16.6 million in federal grant funding that required the city to run ferry service for at least two years. Commuter service briefly ran during the "Summer of Hell" in 2017 when LIRR track repairs limited service to riders.
Plans to start regular service in 2020 were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then delayed further when former commuters continued to work remotely at home.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the LIRR, and five unions representing almost 3,500 workers have clashed over contract talks. The unions, which represent electricians, locomotive engineers, signal inspectors, machinists and ticket clerks, have asked for a 5% salary increase in the final year of a four-year contract. A recommended settlement Wednesday would pay workers 4.5% raises in the fourth year.
The agency has advised commuters to work from home in the event of a strike. It is offering limited shuttle bus services from points on Long Island to subway stops in Queens for essential workers and others who must go to work in person.
Newsday's Lisa L. Colangelo contributed to this story.
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