RSS 2.0 FeedOctober 13, 2011, Freeport-Baldwin Leader
LIRR commuter bill of rights proposed
Like airline passengers, rail road commuters and politicians push for tights.
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer has called on the Long Island Rail Road to establish a commuters’ bill of rights, similar to a passengers’ bill of rights established for the airline industry.
The bill of rights would provide baseline protections for passengers of Long Island’s commuter rail system and better inform them of service disruptions and delays as well as alternative transportation options
The LIRR system is one of the busiest commuter railroads in North America, serving approximately 265,000 passengers each weekday. A monthly ticket between Freeport and New York’s Pennsylvania Station is $254 for a commuter who is traveling during rush hour.
Over the course of the last year, significant service disruptions have plagued the LIRR, leaving passengers stranded at Penn Station or stuck on platforms on the Island. In April, a massive service disruption due to poorly scheduled Amtrak maintenance work in tunnels lasted more than three hours during the evening rush and stranded tens of thousands of passengers heading home for the Passover holiday.
Last week, LIRR trains were delayed for hours after lightning caused signal problems at the Jamaica station. These delays and system failures are part of a series of at least 12 major delays or shutdowns since August 2010, said Senator Schumer, and caused by a combination of factors including weather, maintenance schedules and human error.
“The LIRR shares Senator Schumer’s concern about the impact of recent weather-related service disruptions on the customers we work hard to serve every day,” said Salvatore Arena, a spokesperson for the LIRR. “Our first priority in these situations must always be the safety of our customers, and we work closely with our public safety partners to keep customers on the train, where they’re safest.”
At a recent meeting of the 19th Legislative District Commuters’ Council held at Merrick Library, residents also voiced concerns about LIRR service. Bob Brennan, director of community affairs for the LIRR, explained that although 75% of the ridership at Penn Station was on the LIRR, “we [LIRR] don’t own Penn Station. There are 21 tracks and we have use of seven tracks.”
Senator Schumer said the commuters’ bill of rights should require a more robust notification system be implemented to alert passengers to service disruptions while on trains and on waiting platforms as well as online and through text messages. If those delays have the potential to be significant, the LIRR should commit to providing commuters with information on alternative transit options.
Secondly, a commuter bill of rights should establish a clear time threshold for how long passengers should be expected to sit on idling or stranded trains before the railroad finds a safe way to let passengers off.
And third, a bill of rights should ensure that in situations where it is impossible to let passengers off because of dangerous conditions, such as a train stranded in a tunnel or on an overpass, train operators should provide basic provisions, like water, for customers who are stuck on trains for extended periods of time.
New York State Senator Charles Fuschillo Jr., chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee said “I spoke with Helena Williams [president of the LIRR] this morning. I believe there needs to be an improvement in communications,” he said. “They need to work on that.” Senator Fuschillo also said he would support the idea of basic provisions for passengers if the train is extensively delayed.
