Cutting LIRR conductors by half, other measures could save MTA up to $2.9B a year, report says

Replacing LIRR ticket collectors with station turnstiles is among several ways the MTA could save up to $2.9 billion a year, according to a new report.

The report, published Tuesday by fiscal watchdog group the Citizens Budget Commission, or CBC, recommended several measures aimed at boosting productivity among workers, including replacing the existing method of conductors selling and collecting tickets on trains with a proof-of-payment system.

Like in the New York City subway system, Long Island Rail Road passengers would pay their fare before boarding — potentially at turnstiles installed in busy stations — and conductors on trains would perform random spot checks of riders to ensure fares were paid. The CBC noted that such a system is already in place in commuter rail systems throughout the world, including in Europe.

"Proof-of-payment would require significantly fewer conductors, thus yielding significant savings," wrote the CBC, which reasoned that cutting the number of LIRR conductors by half would still "leave sufficient staff to ensure one conductor per train during all shifts."

The recommendations come as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR's parent organization, still wrestles with the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has decimated ridership, fares and other revenue. Although $14.5 billion in federal aid, and a $2.9 billion federal loan, will allow the MTA to balance its books through 2024, the agency’s financial future remains in question.

"We appreciate the proposals and the time put in by the CBC to make these recommendations," MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. "We welcome the ideas as we look for ways to build on our recent successes in improving safety and reliability of the railroad in tandem with dramatic enhancements to real-time service information."

The report urged other employee productivity improvements, including aligning work rules among LIRR unions with those of sister commuter railroad Metro-North, allowing the LIRR to cut more than 1,000 employees without affecting how much work they accomplished.

"Total hours worked at LIRR would decline by about 2.3 million hours without reducing service," the report said.

Anthony Simon, who leads the LIRR’s largest union, said that changing work rules "sounds easy to those less knowledgeable" about the logistics of running a railroad. And he said further cutting staff would compromise safety and be "irresponsible."

"This continued suggestion of cutting workforce for technology and fare gates, at a time when fare evasion is one of the largest problems in the system, shows the CBC is slightly out of touch," said Simon, general chairman of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.

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.