LIRR app feature designed to keep commuters socially distant
A new feature on the Long Island Rail Road’s mobile app aims to help commuters keep their distance from one another, even before they head to the train station.
The railroad’s free Train Time app can now predict how crowded each train will be, based on ridership patterns over the previous seven days.
The technology follows a May proposal by Patrick Foye, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the LIRR’s parent agency — to create a seat-reservation system for the railroad. The proposal sought to address concerns over crowding on trains during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What we’ve developed is even better, I believe,” LIRR president Phillip Eng said at a news conference Tuesday at the Jamaica station. “Our customers will be able to see the exact ridership trends of their particular trip so they can make the most ideal decision possible about when to ride with us.”
The new feature is one of many introduced on the Train Time app in recent months to help address safety concerns during the pandemic as ridership has fallen steeply. Eng said weekday ridership is now at about 27% of pre-pandemic levels — up from a low of about 3% during the height of the outbreak.
In June, the railroad rolled out real-time train-loading data on its app. It uses “load-weight sensors” built into cars’ suspension systems to detect how many people are on board each one — allowing users to choose where to sit, and even where to position themselves on station platforms.
Originally, the train-loading feature was available only on the railroad’s electric trains, which make up about 90% of the fleet. But LIRR officials announced Tuesday that, using camera technology, it is now also in place on the railroad’s diesel fleet.
The customer improvements come as the railroad faces potential deep service cuts because of the pandemic's financial impact. MTA officials have said that without a $12 billion bailout from the federal government, they may resort to slashing LIRR service in half, including reducing train frequency on some branches and eliminating service altogether on others.
Gerard Bringmann, chairman of the LIRR Commuter Council — the railroad’s state-regulated rider advocacy group — said such a move would make social distancing on trains even more challenging.
“If that funding doesn’t come through, there might be less trains, more crowded trains,” Bringmann said. “At that point, this technology that the railroad is giving us will go from being critical to very critical.”
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.
Prepping for the big storm ... Deadly stabbing at CVS ... Town of Oyster Bay $5M settlement with mosque lawyers ... Feed Me: Best Dishes of the Year
Prepping for the big storm ... Deadly stabbing at CVS ... Town of Oyster Bay $5M settlement with mosque lawyers ... Feed Me: Best Dishes of the Year
