Letter written to Senator Martin requested by the sender to be reprinted in the press.
I am writing to you, as I am sure quite a few others have, relating to the recent service challenges Long Island Railroad has had.
I ride into and return from NYC on the Port Washington train line, from Manhasset every work day. Whereas I appreciate that we have had a rather challenging winter with the weather patterns and extreme temperatures, the cancellations, delays and train combinations on repeated and consecutive days, has been inordinate.
It seems an automatic occurrence, with LIRR that if there is the slightest inclemency in the weather there will be cancellations and combined trains. Even when the local and express trains are combined, the train exorbitantly delayed . It took me an hour to get home from Penn Station this evening, and last evening, each, on a combined 6:11/6:14 PM train where a typical local train should take 38 Minutes. We sat in Great Neck alone for 10 minutes to wait for a Westbound train to pass us.
It costs me $252 a month for a monthly ticket, not an insignificant sum. So far as I can see there has been an approved increase starting April of this year. For what? Lousy service? Dilapidated railways and equipment? This is not just.
I don’t have the time to collect the data on all of the delays, cancellations, etc. this winter but I’m sure you can avail yourself of the statistics pretty simply. This has got to be brought to light because the riders are powerless but to cram on the overcrowded, combined trains and ride in complete discomfort for a ride that is twice as long as it should be, after a hard day’s work, so they can reunite with their families. People are missing dinner with their families, missing other obligations. In fact I missed a concert for my two boys tonight because of the lousy Long Island Railroad. Its not fair and it needs some attention.
Would you be kind enough to look into this and some sort of remedy for Long Island Railroad ridership? If there is anything further that I or other riders can do, people to contact and reach out for help, certainly let us know.
Your assistance would be greatly appreciated
Andrew Baranello
