Report: LIRR cancellations, delays at highest level in decade

Evening rush-hour cancellations for the Long Island Rail Road have reached their highest level in a decade, according to transit data analyzed by the Wall Street Journal.

News 12 Staff

•

Jun 8, 2017, 5:37 PM

•

Updated 2,679 days ago

Evening rush-hour cancellations for the Long Island Rail Road have reached their highest level in a decade, according to transit data analyzed by the Wall Street Journal.

The report comes as Nassau County's representative on the MTA Board is under pressure to resign. County Democrats say John Molloy, an appointee of County Executive Ed Mangano, has failed to be a strong advocate for Nassau residents. Molloy, who has served in the role since 2013, says he's doing his best and welcomes any input.

Thursday night, Republican Legislator Steve Rhoads, of Bellmore, hosted a community meeting in Wantagh that featured MTA representatives.

"I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to get answers to the most pressing questions," Rhoads said.

But answers were seemingly hard to come by, especially as it relates to the upcoming summer track work at Penn Station and how it will impact commuters.

"The plan is being worked on — it's not finalized," said MTA representative Hector Garcia. "It's going to be public very soon."

In this local election year, lawmakers are rushing to show LIRR customers that they feel their pain. Political consultant Michael Dawidziak said that when it comes to political slam dunks, blasting the LIRR during its recent struggles is about as easy as it gets.

"The old saying is an angry voter is a motivated voter, and there are a lot of people angry over this," he said by phone.

LIRR riders told News 12 in Wantagh that what the issue comes down to is who will present much-needed solutions.