New petition calls for increase in service on LIRR's Oyster Bay line

Riders are looking to cut down the time it takes them to travel from Oyster Bay to Penn Station.

News 12 Staff

Feb 22, 2023, 10:40 AM

Updated 660 days ago

Share:

Commuters on the Long Island Rail Road's Oyster Bay branch are demanding more service.
A new petition calling for an increase in service has more than 1,400 signatures.
Riders are looking to cut down the time it takes them to travel from Oyster Bay to Penn Station. They're also pushing for an additional rush hour train that takes them directly into Penn and are asking for an express train.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority tells News 12 that the new schedules that takes effect Monday will result in a 41% increase in service and that the LIRR will review, monitor and assess ridership patterns with customer feedback and consider adjustments to the schedule where appropriate.
The MTA's website says all trains on the Oyster Bay line will stop at Mineola during peak service.
The branch will not have direct service to Grand Central Madison Station, with commuters still having to transfer in Jamaica.
"They want people from Long Island to support the MTA, and pay for all these things, but they don't want to increase the service where people need it," says Thomas Baer, of Bayville.
He says even with the new MTA schedule coming next week, there will still be three less trains than there were before the pandemic.