Bigger vision, role needed for LIRR's next president

With the retirement of Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free comes both a chance to applaud recent progress and a vast opportunity for a bold agenda to address the railroad’s most pressing needs.

Free understandably spent the last three years focused on upgrading the railroad’s operations. His three decades of experience, as he rose within the LIRR’s ranks, allowed him to lead the way in improving on-time performance and wooing back riders in the aftermath of the pandemic. This year, that ridership topped 2019 levels, a moment Gov. Kathy Hochul called a “transit renaissance” for North America’s busiest commuter rail.

A broader mission awaits the next LIRR president.

Too often the Metropolitan Transportation Authority looks backward when thinking of the railroad’s future. Adding a critically needed Third Track and the Grand Central Madison concourse were expensive, yet important accomplishments. But the MTA can only rest on those laurels for so long.

Now is the time to lock in on the next big goals.

BROADER ROLE NEEDED

The next LIRR president must play a significant role in prioritizing the railroad’s needs and become the public advocate for the solutions. The MTA, which handles its capital program through a separate arm of the authority, must draw the LIRR president into a more collaborative process. Too often, the MTA’s construction and development team has taken the lead on capital efforts; the LIRR president’s voice must not be muffled.

As the MTA begins searching for Free’s successor, it should expand the role beyond making sure the trains run on time. The next president must have a vision for larger, critical projects that will keep the Island a vital place to live and work.

Finding someone who knows the railroad but also can navigate the MTA’s bureaucratic morass and the region’s political complexities is tricky — but essential.

When it comes to larger capital priorities, there’s a long to-do list waiting. Some of it is straightforward — getting new cars and improving stations, especially those that need to be more accessible. But there are bigger asks that will require federal and state funding commitments, advocacy and strong leadership to move them forward.

That includes modernizing Jamaica station and addressing the so-called “Jamaica crawl” that adds unnecessary minutes to every commute. There’s also Amtrak’s planned remake of Penn Station, which will unquestionably impact LIRR riders, and its continued rehab of the East River Tunnels, which the railroad moves through each day. The needs of Long Island’s riders must be kept front and center.

Electrifying the entire railroad should be an ultimate goal. First would be an assessment of the current cost and value for each branch, to determine what is needed for the upgrade and which lines should be prioritized.

The Port Jefferson Branch could be an early priority. The final sale of the Lawrence Aviation Industries site to the MTA, which hopes to build a rail yard there, was the first step to moving the Port Jefferson station and eventually electrifying the line. Meanwhile, this year, the LIRR completed a new Yaphank station near Brookhaven National Laboratory, a move that opened the door to electrifying the Main Line east of Ronkonkoma.

FIGHT FOR ELECTRIFICATION

Those in Oyster Bay likely have a tougher track ahead. Elected officials there have fought for the branch’s electrification for decades, noting that ridership would increase if an electrified line provided better, faster service. It’s worth more analysis to determine what’s realistically possible — and if there are alternative solutions.

All this can’t and won’t happen all at once. But Grand Central Madison would never have come to fruition if there weren’t advocates, elected officials and MTA executives who never gave up on the dream.

The already-electrified areas require attention, too. The Port Washington Branch requires particular attention, including station modernization and making more trains available by extending the tracks and expanding the rail yard. The LIRR announced the start of design work, let’s keep the project on the rails and the community onboard.

GET WINS, STEAM AHEAD

Then there are some more straightforward asks. It’s the right time to expand and rethink freight rail on the Island, an effort that would require building new sidings, tracks and yards. The next LIRR head should open the door to this option, which would get many trucks off the highways.

Also important: the need to eliminate one of the worst remaining grade crossings, at the busy William Floyd Parkway in Shirley. That’s an obvious win that could ripple through the area economically, especially as additional housing construction and other development are planned. For the Montauk Branch, LIRR leaders must make good on promises to expand the successful South Fork Commuter Connection, with upgraded signals, a second set of tracks and improved infrastructure.

Thanks to Free and his predecessors, LIRR service is more reliable and the bathrooms cleaner. The next president must take a bigger swing at putting the LIRR’s future on the right track.