Fix maddening LIRR fraud

As the latest Long Island Rail Road scandal reverberates systemwide, the extent and audacity of the alleged timekeeping abuse and fraud has become clear.

While LIRR and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials say they expect to discipline those involved, that punishment has been slow to come. Just one of the 36 workers has been fired. Half of them still work for the railroad and were demoted or suspended. About a dozen resigned or retired, potentially avoiding the MTA's ire, although they forfeited some earnings.

Five more still could be fired once the disciplinary process concludes, a process that should be swift to make the point to others that the culture must change.

Maddeningly, they'll all still enjoy their pensions, although the totals could be lower.

More must be said and done to reassure an outraged public. At the MTA's railroad committee meeting this week, it was Orange County board member and former MTA Police Chief James O'Donnell who demanded answers from MTA executives. O'Donnell is right — and Long Island's own representatives should be equally vocal on their riders' behalf. While LIRR president Rob Free and MTA chief executive Janno Lieber have responded appropriately, more is needed.

O'Donnell's request for a briefing from the MTA's inspector general is a valid one. MTA officials insisted confidentiality requirements and the investigation's ongoing status require the session be held in private. If so, then a transcript, with only the most necessary redactions, should be made public soon after. Better yet, the inspector general should come before a public MTA board meeting to answer questions on his findings, on the investigation itself, and on any shortcomings in the MTA process that may have led to Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney's decision not to bring criminal charges.

The MTA still owes its riders and taxpayers detailed explanations as to what went wrong and what will change. And the MTA and its unions must commit to specific work rule reforms. That's the only way the MTA, its unions and its employees can be held accountable.

Change must come quickly. Security cameras and technology are key. New training and orientation programs are helpful. Lucrative work rules must be front and center.

A significant response is especially required if only due to expected demands from New York City for big-ticket items like free buses that could cost $800 million annually. City MTA representatives easily could suggest the LIRR can't manage its money and make the case for LIRR funding to be diverted to New York City Transit.

The LIRR president told the editorial board he is "outraged and disgusted" by his employees' behavior, and he should be. Said Free: "We will do our best to ensure this doesn't happen again and we won't take our foot off the pedal." 

They're strong words. Now the LIRR and the MTA must put them into action.