Few LIRR riders weigh in on planned fare hike at only LI hearing

Long Island commuters sounded off Thursday on the MTA’s latest proposed fare hike, which many said was especially unwarranted given the Long Island Rail Road’s woeful service as of late.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s sole public hearing on Long Island addressing the planned fare increase drew sparse attendance, with only 16 people speaking during the three-hour hearing in the Hilton Grand Ballroom in Melville.

Some speakers blamed the low turnout on the LIRR’s service problems. A broken rail near Woodside and a train with equipment problems snarled the Thursday evening rush hour.

“There are empty seats that are here, not because people are happy with these fare hikes. It’s because people can’t make it right now,” said Jillian Beroza of Dix Hills, whose $350 monthly ticket would climb to $363 under the MTA plan. “I’ve been paying for terrible service . . . I have a kid. I have a husband. I have a house I’m trying to pay for. I moved out to Long Island, and I’m starting to regret it.”

Other speakers said their opposition to the proposed fare hike was less about what the MTA was asking of riders and more about what the agency was giving in return.

The railroad remains on pace to record its lowest annual on-time performance in nearly two decades. Riders also have complained of late of heavier crowding than usual on trains, in part because several train cars were taken out of service because of damage to wheels caused by wet leaves on the tracks.

“Duct tape. Broken seats. Bathrooms that have sewage coming out of the faucets. When it rains, some of the cars are pouring rain, like you’re in the shower,” Huntington commuter Michael Simeone told a panel of MTA officials, which included LIRR President Philip Eng. “If you want to raise fares, I’m OK with that — only if the trains are in pristine condition. No more duct tape on the seats. I don’t know if you guys own stock in duct tape or what.”

Although MTA officials would not respond to speakers at the public hearing, they have said regular fare increases were necessary to avoid future deficits.

The MTA said in a statement last week that the public hearings were “an opportunity for the public to discuss and consider” a range of options. “Following the public hearings, after considering public comment, the boards of the MTA and its affiliated agencies will decide which fare and crossing charges to adopt,” the agency said.

The MTA Board is expected to vote in January on the fare increase — the seventh in 10 years. If approved, the new fares would take effect in March.

The rate increase would average about 4 percent across the MTA’s railroads, subways, buses, and toll bridges and tunnels. On the LIRR, monthly tickets could climb by as much as $15 and weekly tickets by as much as $5.75.

Rick Nieto, of Huntington Station, said that rather than approving a 4 percent increase, the railroad should consider “a 4 percent cut, at least until we see improvements.”

“It’s just ridiculous what’s going on with this whole thing. Everything is delayed. Dirty trains. Dirty platforms,” Nieto said. “How are you [supposed] to keep paying for increases when we don’t see, actually, things happening for the better? It’s really disheartening.”

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.