LIRR workers frustrated by Grand Central Madison schedule overhaul too, union head says

Long Island Rail Road workers are “just as frustrated” as passengers, the railroad’s top labor leader said Friday following a week of miserable commuting conditions caused by the LIRR overhauling its service plan with the opening of Grand Central Madison.

Anthony Simon, general chairman of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART, in a statement said the railroad’s 1,100 union conductors have been “trying to provide the best service they can” since the LIRR drastically altered its operation Monday. He asked passengers not to take out their aggravation on train crew members, who have also been negatively impacted by the service changes.

“They, of course, are just as frustrated, because of this overcrowding, which causes safety concerns both for our conductors and passengers,” said Simon, who noted that the crowding “also makes it extremely difficult to get through the aisles to collect fares.”

In a memo to railroad employees obtained by Newsday, LIRR interim president Catherine Rinaldi acknowledged that it’s been “a less-than-ideal experience for some commuters,” and expressed her gratitude for workers’ “steady and helpful excellence.”

“You have shown sensitivity to our customers who are trying to acclimate themselves to their ‘new normal,’” Rinaldi wrote Friday. “ … Your poise and empathy have been instrumental in maximizing calm, order and safety,” she added.

The opening of the LIRR’s first new Manhattan terminal in more than a century marked the realization of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $11.1 billion East Side Access megaproject. Although the railroad boosted overall service by 41% to serve the new station, the changes also meant removing several Penn Station trains from the schedule, shortening trains by several cars, and operating its Brooklyn line as a shuttle service from a dedicated platform at Jamaica station.

Grand Central commuters — which, according to the LIRR, have made up about 30% of Manhattan-bound riders — have praised the new East Side link. But the service changes have resulted in intense crowding on trains and station platforms and prolonged commutes for much of the rest of the railroad’s approximate 200,000 daily riders.

James Emanuel, who has been commuting on the same train to Brooklyn for 30 years, said the shift to shuttle service for Atlantic Terminal passengers “has just been horrendous,” with trains so crowded that some riders can’t board them.

Emanuel said he’s “felt very bad” for LIRR workers, whom he’s witnessed receive “an earful from a lot of people.”

“They’re not happy either … They’re stuck in this situation too,” said Emanuel, 60, who has seen conductors urge riders to complain to the railroad managers about the changes.

On Thursday, the railroad outlined several planned adjustments aimed at bringing relief to inconvenienced riders, including more cars on the busiest trains and more frequent Brooklyn shuttles.

On Friday, the LIRR offered new information about the changes. The railroad said it will operate three more morning shuttles to Brooklyn — at 7 a.m., 7:29 a.m., and 8:09 a.m. — and will add cars to some rush hour trains on the Babylon, Long Beach, Port Washington and Ronkonkoma Branches."

Emanuel doubted the measures would make much of a difference, but said he appreciated the railroad’s quick response to the issues.

“I don’t think it’s enough,” Emanuel said. “But, if you’re trying to do something, I’m willing to give you a chance.”

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.