LIRR commuters fed up over new schedules, delays following Grand Central Madison launch

Commuters say the schedules, crowded trains and delays are making their commute worse.

News 12 Staff

Mar 1, 2023, 10:25 AM

Updated 666 days ago

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It’s been three days since it started, but many LIRR riders tell News 12 they are already fed up with the service to Grand Madison.
Commuters say the schedules, crowded trains and delays are making their commute worse.
News 12 received a video from a rider of a crowded platform at Jamaica Station. She says all the passengers there were forced to cram onto a train that was late and had only six cars.
Delays on the second day of full service to Grand Central Madison Station were caused by signal issues.
People are also complaining about cuts to express service from stations like Ronkonkoma.
It was the second day of service along the new line. Lisa Daglian, the executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, says the Grand Central Madison rollout is a work in progress.
"It's trying something new and adapting to something different," she said. "And now you're adapting to something that's new and different with delays. And that's adding to a scramble and a dash so you're not late. It's really frustrating for a lot of people."
Some commuters say they were hoping it would be a better timesaver.
According to the MTA, a temporary fix has been made to the track condition that caused Tuesday morning's delays. Permanent repairs will be done overnight.
The agency also says it is monitoring ridership trends and will adjust as necessary.