Editorial: Riders hit by fare hike depending on Lhota
A commuter uses a ticket machine at the LIRR station in Valley Stream. Credit: Ed Betz, 2011
Attention, please: The Long Island Rail Road fare increase will arrive right on time, and it isn't pretty.
Tomorrow the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to approve a jump of 15 percent for round-trip tickets and 8.5 percent for monthly fares.
It adds up to a hefty chunk of change for many families.
A monthly ticket between Farmingdale and Penn Station, for example, will go from $299 to $325. And for those who use the subway when they reach New York City, the monthly MetroCard will rise from $104 to $112. So all told, monthly expenses will leap from $403 -- not counting driving and parking costs on Long Island -- to $437.
What do we get in return?
We get a railroad trying hard to improve service and treat its riders with respect.
That's something.
Of course the LIRR has its troubles. It relies on century-old tunnels owned and operated by Amtrak. It struggles to meet fast-growing pension expenses. It's vulnerable to storms like Sandy that in one swoop can make hash of operating budgets.
But under MTA chairman Joseph Lhota, the LIRR has shown an impressive new commitment to aggressively addressing rider concerns. After Sandy, Lhota had the MTA up and running far faster than anyone expected.
If he can perform at that level in the tough realm of contract negotiations -- shaving pension costs here and cutting other expenses there -- riders will see an even better return on investment.
