LIRR watchdog group says MTA not doing enough to gather information

The MTA is not doing enough to gather input from Long Island Rail Road commuters about its latest proposed fare increase, the LIRR’s watchdog group said Tuesday.

The LIRR Commuter Council is raising several concerns about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s lone public hearing on Long Island on Thursday regarding the planned hike, which could raise the price of LIRR monthly tickets by as much as $15 starting in March.

The hearing is scheduled for 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Hilton Long Island at 598 Broad Hollow Rd. in Melville. Registration for speakers begins at 4:30 p.m.

Council chairman Mark Epstein said his group is “very disappointed” that only one hearing is being held across both Nassau and Suffolk counties, and that it will be at a location not easily accessible by public transportation. He also noted the MTA has scheduled another hearing at the same time in the Bronx, meaning not all MTA board members will be available to hear from affected Long Island commuters.

The board is expected to vote in January on the proposed increases, which average about 4 percent and include rate hikes on New York City subways and buses, and on MTA bridges and tolls.

An LIRR spokesman declined to comment Tuesday, but railroad officials have said members of the public also can weigh in on the proposed fare changes at any time by phone, email or letter.

The MTA said in a statement last week that the hearings are “an opportunity for the public to discuss and consider” a range of options. “Following the public hearings, after considering public comment, the boards of the MTA and its affiliated agencies will decide which fare and crossing charges to adopt,” the agency said.

The LIRR also will provide riders with opportunities to provide testimony on video at the Ronkonkoma station Wednesday morning and at Hicksville on Monday morning. Epstein said limiting the video testimony to two stations, and only during morning rush hours, also "isn’t opening the process up to everyone who wants to comment."

Epstein said the council is also “extremely concerned” about the lack of Long Island representation on the MTA board. The 19-member panel is without a Nassau representative, leaving just one voting member, Mitchell Pally, of Suffolk, representing the Island. The LIRR Commuter Council does have a nonvoting representative on the board.

“At the end of the day, fares will be raised without Long Island’s full voice, or its vote,” Epstein said.

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.