Riders: LIRR’s $24M Wantagh station renovation sloppy, slow

The Long Island Rail Road said it is addressing rider concerns about the $24-million renovation of the Wantagh station, including complaints that repairs made to cracks on a new concrete platform are shoddy and the project is taking too long.

Nearly two years after the project began, in spring 2016, the LIRR reopened the east end of the platform last month and unveiled several upgrades, including new digital signs, elevator, platform waiting room, lighting and concrete platforms.

As the renovation began, LIRR president Patrick Nowakowski promised that “Wantagh Station is going to look spectacular when this project is complete.”

Some riders are taking issue, however, with the quality of the repairs at the station, used by about 6,000 people daily. Social media postings include pictures and videos of large concrete patches covering several spots on newly poured concrete platforms.

“Why is this platform covered with sloppy patchwork?” @LIFAILROAD666 wrote in a Twitter post accompanied by photos of the repairs. “This doesn’t look new at all.”

LIRR spokeswoman Sarah Armaghan acknowledged last month that a grid pipe system installed under the platforms to melt snow sustained damage during setup and testing because of freezing conditions. Photos taken by riders and posted on Twitter show workers breaking several holes into the new platforms to access the pipes.

“The contractor is paying any additional costs associated with this issue,” Armaghan said in a statement. The contractor, Fortunato Sons Contracting Inc. of Bohemia, did not respond to a request for comment.

LIRR spokesman Aaron Donovan said Friday repairs to the snow/ice melting system under the platforms has been completed and “is functioning as intended.” He said the contractors intend to coat the new platform with a sealant “in order to establish a uniformity of appearance.”

Other problems have arisen in recent weeks. The new waiting room is without doors after they broke during heavy winds in the March 2 storm. Donovan said temporary doors will go up in coming weeks and new, permanent doors will be installed in the spring.

Commuters also have complained about repeated outages of a new elevator. Donovan said Friday afternoon that the elevator subcontractor, Kone Corp., recently replaced a faulty electrical component and made other adjustments to address recent problems. Hours later, firefighters had to respond after a group of commuters got stuck in the elevator Friday evening. Donovan said the elevator was, again, taken out of service.

LIRR officials also said the renovation is on pace to be completed by the third quarter of this year, as scheduled. The second phase of construction, on the western half of the station, began last month.

Some commuters were still not sold on the project.

Waiting for her train to Manhattan in the new platform waiting room Friday, commuter Jamie Lischak of Seaford said the station, which was last renovated about 50 years ago, still “doesn’t look great.”

“It’s better than it was. But it took, in my opinion, excessively long,” said Lischak, 26, a speech therapist, adding that having half the station platform closed for the better part of the last two years has been a huge inconvenience. “There were many times when I was running back and forth on the train trying to get to where I could actually get off on the station platform.”

However, Henry Gallegos of Wantagh said the renovated station is a “definite improvement,” despite some issues.

“The platform is light years ahead of what we had before and really ahead of the neighboring stations,” Gallegos, 40, said. “A heated waiting room is a great addition.”

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.