Editorial: LIRR riders deserve more for higher fares
The parade in New York means many Long Islanders will want to find their way to Manhattan. The best way to travel on the holiday? Perhaps the LIRR, and the train won't run without conductors. Credit: Newsday / Bill Davis
Barring a miracle, Long Islanders are racing toward a hike in Long Island Rail Road fares of up to 4.25 percent by March. There will be hearings and there may be protests, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority seems determined to stick to its small-but-steady fare increases every two years.
That method does make some sense. It's better for commuters to suffer a minor pain in the pocketbook every other year than to reel from massive hits at unpredictable intervals. The hikes will drive up the cost of a monthly LIRR ticket by between $7 and $19. For example, the monthly pass from Great Neck to Penn Station will rise from $242 to $252, while the one-way peak ticket will cost from 25 cents to $1.25 extra. It could be worse. The LIRR negotiated a labor contract in July that will cost the agency about $226 million through 2016, but the pact changes new employee contributions to health and pension plans to save money down the road.
While the MTA struggles to make its budget, so do the rest of us. But the agency should at least accelerate efforts to make commutes more convenient. And to be fair, the LIRR has done so, restoring service cut in 2010 to Port Washington (last year) and West Hempstead (on Nov. 22). But more can be done to improve the LIRR. The Oyster Bay line needs more trains, and the whole system needs to increase capacity to serve those traveling within Long Island.
We don't want to be taken for a ride. We want more for our money.
