New service cuts take effect Monday on LIRR
New service cuts take effect on the Long Island Rail Road on Monday, two days after the U.S. Senate approved $6.5 billion in pandemic relief for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR's parent agency.
Citing low ridership amid the public health crisis, the MTA is paring back train schedules across the LIRR, a move the railroad says will save $15.45 million and enable maintenance and improvement projects to go forward.
But the plan has faced heavy criticism from lawmakers, transit advocates and riders, who have said it will make life even harder for riders already dealing with prior pandemic-induced service reductions.
"It's outrageous," said Charlton D'Souza, president of the transit advocacy group Passengers United, which held a small protest over the issue in Manhattan on Sunday. "Passengers just are fed up."
D'Souza expressed concern the changes could enable COVID-19 to spread more easily on the LIRR, as fewer trains will mean those that are running could be more crowded. He criticized the timing of the cuts as well, given the new federal funding the MTA is poised to receive.
In a statement Sunday, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan praised the support from Washington, D.C., saying it will help the agency avoid even more dramatic cutbacks.
Asked whether the MTA may reverse the LIRR cuts in light of that influx of cash, Donovan said: "We will continue to review service levels going forward, as ridership increases from the current level of approximately 24%."
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) weighed in on the issue Sunday as well, saying the MTA should not curtail service, including on the LIRR, given the new federal funding. "We've gotten them $8 billion already," he said, referring to earlier pandemic aid for the MTA. "We're getting them another more than $6 billion now."
LIRR SERVICE CUTS TAKING EFFECT MONDAY
The changes reduce midday train frequency to hourly on the Ronkonkoma, Hempstead, Far Rockaway, Port Washington and Long Beach branches, and half hourly on the Babylon and Huntington lines.
Trains will operate every 90 minutes between Huntington and Port Jefferson, and every two hours on the West Hempstead Branch and to and from Speonk.
Trains will run more frequently on most branches during peak hours.
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