NEW YORK — The first full week of the Long Island Rail Road’s new schedule, offering more trains systemwide and full service to the new Grand Central Madison station, has gone less than smoothly, particularly for those still taking the LIRR to Penn Station.
There are now fewer Penn trains than there had been when it was the only LIRR terminal, and those that remain are reportedly so overcrowded that some riders are said to be using the bathrooms for travel space.
CBS New York reports that LIRR Interim President Catherine Rinaldi has said the commuter railroad is tracking ridership “train by train, car by car, to see who’s taking what trains and when, and based upon the data that we continue to see every single day, we’re making some adjustments to be able to address some of the crowding conditions. What we’re seeing, this crowding, we already started to address by lightening. We’ll do more next week. By next week, some problems will get better.”
Riders have also complained of chaotic transfers at Jamaica, the hub for LIRR operations in Queens, but Rinaldi reminded them that other transfer points are available. Ultimately, she suggested, people will adjust to the new operation.
“I mean, it’s a different kind of service plan, so there’s no timed transfers anymore, but there is a lot more service,” Rinaldi said. “You know, you have service every few minutes, either to Grand Central or to Penn, so it’s going to feel a little bit different.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul called the problems “a temporary situation.
“Any new dramatic change like this, the first train station [to] open [in] over 100 years, it’s going to take a little bit, but it is very temporary. … We are working very hard to get it right as soon as possible.” Changes include adding cars to some trains to address the demand, she said.
Meanwhile, riders who use the LIRR to travel to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn are unhappy because the new schedules mostly require them to transfer at Jamaica, the website amNY.com reports. Many of them had previously enjoyed one-seat rides to or from their destinations.
The LIRR says the new schedule has increased service on the Brooklyn Branch, with trains every 12 minutes during peak periods, and 20 minutes during off-peak periods.
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