Malverne Long Island Rail Road station getting old morning schedule back

Efforts to restore the 7:23 a.m. westbound Long Island Rail Road train from the Malverne train station have paid off, officials said.

Village officials and local legislators worked for two years to get the LIRR to restore the old weekday morning rush-hour schedule — including the 7:23 — for the West Hempstead branch. That followed several complaints from constituents about the LIRR’s budget-related systemwide reductions in September 2010, which ended weekend service on the West Hempstead branch.

The weekday morning schedule will now revert to the original 2009 schedule as of March 4, officials said last week. The new schedule change was part of an effort by Malverne Mayor Patricia Norris McDonald, Assemb. Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook) and state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre).

The 7:23 a.m. train is “a convenient commuting option, and I’m glad that I was able to lead the efforts to restore it,” Curran said in a statement.

Nearly 90 percent of the commuters had indicated on a village-led survey in October that they preferred the old morning rush-hour train schedule for Malverne: 7 a.m., 7:23 a.m., 7:44 a.m. and 8:35 a.m. The rest favored the current schedule: 7 a.m., 7:44 a.m., 8:14 a.m. and 9:01 a.m.

With the start of the new state legislative session, Curran and Skelos said they will work together to reinstate the branch’s weekend service.

“The commuters from Malverne and Westwood stations are pleased to see the morning service restored and all of the village residents are eager for the return of weekend and holiday trains,” McDonald said in a statement.
 

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years