LIRR service changes following Queens pols complaints
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Riders board and exit an LIRR train in Jamaica. Recent changes to the train’s schedule has left some Queens commuters frustrated. Eagle file photo by Jonathan Sperling
By Ryan Schwach
The Long Island Railroad says that service changes are coming to Queens stations in Kew Gardens and Forest Hills after four electeds complained that recent train schedule changes have made their constituents’ commutes tougher.
Central Queens Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, State Senator Leroy Comrie, Councilmember Lynn Shulman and Representative Grace Meng wrote a letter to the LIRR’s Interim President Catherine Rinaldi on Feb. 24 calling for the service changes.
The letter was in response to changes by the LIRR which affected service to Penn Station after the opening of the new Grand Central Madison station, which caused headaches for westbound commuters from Queens and Long Island.
"With the rollout of the long anticipated Grand Central Madison, commuters now have options when traveling into the Central Business District and it is important that we continue to work together to improve service for Queens residents," said Comrie.
The $12.7 billion project, complete with its massively long escalator ride – it takes over a minute to get from top to bottom – opened in January to fan fare, but when trains began to be diverted to the new station, changing schedules known to commuters, tensions began to flare.
Complaints rolled in of people missing trains, delays and mad dashes for connections.
“I used to rave about my commute and how much I loved it. Now I can no longer say that,” Long Island commuter Ken Lieber recently told Gothamist. “The trains are a lot more crowded, so I’m dealing with being jammed in like a sardine and paying $277 a month for really next to nothing.”
The LIRR issues negatively affected almost everyone traveling west, including Queens commuters.
“Our constituents will now be forced, as an alternative to using LIRR, to use the MTA’s E/F lines at Union Tpke/Queens Blvd, which adds at least 25-40 additional minutes to their daily commute,” the officials’ letter read.
“Alternatively, our constituents, many of whom are seniors and individuals with disabilities, would have to walk uphill from Forest Hills to Kew Gardens in all types of weather or take an earlier morning bus and then transfer to this station,” they added.
According to the letter, the service changes eliminated all service between Kew Gardens and Penn Station for westbound trains leaving between 4:46 a.m. and 6:49 a.m., and arriving at 5:01 a.m. and 7:03 a.m., respectively.
“These changes create a massive gap in coverage for early morning commuters,” the letter continued.
The officials say that LIRR heard their concerns and that changes are coming to benefit Queens commuters, and hope that additional changes are made to better service.
Specifically, the MTA says that it added an additional Kew Gardens train to Penn station at 1:49 a.m. and 6:05 a.m. as well as a 4:18 a.m. from Forest Hills to Penn.
“We have maintained continuous contact with LIRR to keep concerns on their radar, and to LIRR’s credit, agency leadership and staff have been incredibly helpful and responsive,” said Hevesi. “These restorations in service will relieve huge burdens on commuters, and we’re hopeful that additional restorations will follow.”
Overall, the officials were pleased with the MTA’s response to the letter.
“Thank you to the LIRR for hearing our concerns and being responsive to the issues we raised about the change in schedules negatively impacting our constituents,” said Meng. “LIRR customers deserve convenient service, especially when commuting to and from work, and we’re hopeful that even more restorations will be made soon.”
"I want to thank and commend the MTA/LIRR for being flexible and seeing local community input as a priority with the recent schedule changes," added Comrie.
