'It wasn't too painful'
Ted Lyons, 68, of Huntington, and Seattle resident Shriz Niazi, 30, at the Huntington train station. Credit: Newsday/John Asbury
Passengers boarded the first Huntington train to Penn Station, heading to work or visiting Manhattan. Some commuters related calling out to work over the weekend, unable to drive or find other options to get to the city.
Others worked remotely, but said the train served as a vital artery to connect Long Island and the city.
“I'm glad to be on the train, glad that the strike is over,” said Ted Lyons, 68, of Huntington, who said he plans to ride the rails to visit a new grandson in Hoboken, New Jersey. “I'm glad we can get into the city rather than driving. We need the trains.”
Lyons said the strike didn't change the need or expectations of using the LIRR.
“We haven't had one in quite a long time, so I'm happy about that. It's kind of like what you expect when you live in New York,” Lyons said “These kind of things happen; you’ve got to be prepared for everything, and it wasn't too painful. It could have been, but I'm very happy that the strike's over.”
He traveled with a software engineer, Shriz Niazi, 30, of Seattle.
Niazi said because he was unable to get to work Monday he got permission to work remotely.
“It was insane. For a lot of people, you have to go five days in the office a week, and so you have to work with management to say, you cannot come in,” Niazi said. “You had to convince the HR that, ‘Hey, this thing is not working,’ and you cannot make it in."
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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