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LIRR to adjust service after rocky 1st week of full service at Grand Central Madison station

Some of the changes involve adding some morning rush hour trains to Brooklyn and additional train cars to alleviate crowding.

News 12 Staff

Mar 4, 2023, 3:36 AM

Updated 641 days ago

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The Long Island Rail Road is once again adjusting service following a week of complaints from commuters.
Some of the changes involve adding some morning rush hour trains to Brooklyn and additional train cars to alleviate crowding.
The first week of full service to Grand Central Madison has not been the quick commute that many had hoped for.
"It's not faster - it's messed up, everybody's schedule, it's messed up everything," says Yolanda Casey, of Moriches.
Overcrowded trains, inconvenient schedule and hectic passengers chasing to make their connections in Jamaica were some of the issues travelers have dealt with.
LIRR Interim President Catherine Rinaldi says the new changes on track for next week will hopefully speed up the commute.
"There are certain things we need to act upon right away and we're doing that," Rinaldi says. "We've already done some for her with respect to lengthening trains."
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says 71% of riders are still using Penn Station and 29% have switched to Grand Central Terminal.
That is lower than their initial estimates.
"There was some sense it might be a 60-40 split or maybe a 55-45 split, but obviously COVID came, work patterns have changed," Rinaldi says.
There are some people who have had a positive experience with the new East Side access option.
"For me it's been working out," says Deanna Feldmann, of Ronkonkoma. "Grand Central is beautiful."
The MTA says it is looking at complaints from commuters on specific branches, including the Oyster Bay branch.
Rinaldi says it is too soon to make any major changes to service, but they will continue to monitor trends.
The MTA says, in the meantime, people can try alternative transfer stations to avoid condition in Jamaica, including transferring at Wantagh or Hicksville.
Depending on where the commuter's destination is, however, they could be forced to change at Jamaica.