LIRR strike, Day One: Idled trains, snarled traffic, stranded commuters

The first signs of the Long Island Rail Road strike on Saturday morning were quiet.

Platforms were deserted, devoid of whirring engines, departure announcements and dinging bells warning of closing doors. A railyard in Ronkonkoma was filled with trains destined for nowhere as Day One of the strike got underway.

For the first time since 1994, LIRR service halted just after midnight Saturday as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and five labor unions remain locked in contract negotiations.

Signs of the strike grew louder as railroad workers formed picket lines at train stations, traffic snarled and passengers scrambled to find alternate routes to work, airports, Broadway shows, concerts and game two of the Subway Series.

However surreal or disruptive Saturday seemed, one day without the LIRR was merely a taste of the misery that could ensue if the strike stretches into Monday morning. That could leave some 270,000 daily commuters without a way into work.

Across the region Saturday, commuters were stunned to learn that shuttle buses part of the MTA’s contingency plan would not begin until Monday morning.

Julio Garcia of Holtsville had been waiting since before dawn for a nonexistent shuttle. Stranded without a way to work, Garcia, 34, resorted to using a sick day, but feared what could come if the strike goes on.

“I hope it ends today,” he said.

In Hickville, Carlos Vilera was attempting to get into Manhattan for a plumbing job.

“Now I got to go call somebody pick me up,” he said.

With Long Island’s main transportation artery shut down, hundreds of union workers staged demonstrations at train stations, holding pro-union signs and chanting, “No contract! No trains!”

In Hicksville, John Murray, division chairman of the Transportation Communications Union, which represents ticket clerks, cleaners and others, said he was disappointed talks fell through Friday night.

He was hopeful that the MTA would agree to the union’s demands before the work week starts.

“We didn't think they were gonna let us walk, but we couldn't give up what they wanted to offer us,” he said. “I think that today they'll get a real taste of medicine,” he added, noting that Saturday was the Brooklyn Marathon, game 2 of the Subway Series and a Bruce Springsteen concert at Madison Square Garden.

Saturday’s shutdown left riders improvising as a growing number of Long Islanders rely on the railroad on weekends.

The MTA reported an average of 137,000 passengers on Saturdays in 2025, a 22% increase from 112,000 in 2019. There were an average of 112,000 Sunday riders last year, according to the agency.

Some attempted to pivot to rideshare services to get to their destinations, but grew frustrated at high price tags.

Elizabeth Dement, of Houston, pushed her flight back several hours to buy time to find her way to LaGuardia from Ronkonkoma.

Dement, 40, was frustrated after Village Taxi wanted $120 for a ride to the airport.

She said she didn’t know what to do if she couldn’t find someone to split the fare with. “I’m kind of just stuck out here,” Dement said.

Others are now relying on bus service, though it’s been a slow go.

Christian Briones of Patchogue usually takes the train to get to and from his job in Jamaica. Last night, Briones said it took three hours.

On Saturday, he opted to take buses to retrieve his mother’s ashes.

The 45-year-old had already been traveling for more than an hour, and still had another bus ride to go.

“I’m wondering how long the strike is going to go. They need to pay them quick,” he said, even if it means raising fares.

Families and groups organized carpools after train plans fell apart.

A troop of Boy Scouts from Wantagh organized a carpool convoy to Jamaica to take the subway to see an art exhibit on the Upper West Side.

Chris Abel, a troop leader accompanying the children, said the outing was part of an art-related merit badge, but that taking the subway would be its own educational endeavor.

“They’ll see parts of the city that they normally won't see,” he said.

If the strike stretches into Monday, the MTA is warning riders to avoid nonessential travel and work from home if possible. It plans to run six bus shuttle routes starting at 4:30 a.m. Monday. Those buses can accommodate just 13,000 people during each commute, Newsday previously reported.

LIRR employees picketing Saturday said rising costs on Long Island have left railroad workers struggling financially.

“We’re like everyone else on Long Island. Inflation killed us,” said Danny Santiago, 52, a union leader and LIRR block operator. “In three years, our salaries have not gone up. All we want is a fair wage. We’re not looking to get rich.”

For Jeff Pacini, 55, a ticket agent supervisor who is set to retire in 10 days, the strike carries emotional weight.

“I get thousands of people on the train every day, and I'm happy and proud to help people,” he said.

“We've worked through COVID … We never had a day off. We did the work so that they have record ridership, and we deserve a fair wage.”

Though plenty of drivers and passersby offered support to the union workers, not all Long Islanders sympathized.

At the Greenlawn train station on Saturday, Jim Malloy of Centerport criticized the strike as “unconscionable.”

“It’s essentially extortion,” he said. “They’re holding transportation hostage from the public who pays them.”

Some business leaders are concerned that the LIRR, a major economic engine in the region, has slowed to a standstill ahead of the summer tourism season.

Kyle Strober, executive director of the developers’ group Association for a Better Long Island, warned in a statement that the agreement to settle the strike could be “an economic house of cards for the region.”

“A payday that triggers a dramatic increase in fares, an exodus of those unwilling or unable to pay that increase, and a necessary hike in the MTA payroll tax on Long Island’s businesses could create a railroad that transforms from one that daily moves 300,000 Long Islanders to one that seriously burdens those same commuters,” he said.

The strike is "highly disruptive" for Long Island businesses and commuters, said Stacey Sikes, acting president and CEO of regional business group the Long Island Association.

"We are also very concerned about the financial impact of the strike on the small businesses near the train station that rely on foot traffic from riders," she said.

On the North Fork, where train service is sparse, vineyard employees didn’t report any significant changes in business Saturday.

At Ev&Em Vineyards in Laurel, general manager Kristen Curcie said the tasting room was slightly busier than expected. She also expressed concern that heavier traffic could deter visitors from western Long Island if the strike continues into Memorial Day weekend.

“The traffic, if [the strike] drags on, is going to become horrendous, and it will become a bit of a problem going into our busiest weekend that kicks off the [summer] season,” said Curcie, who is also president of Long Island Wine Country, a wine industry group.

Trains remained stationary across Long Island by Saturday evening, with no clear indication of when negotiations would resume between the two sides.