United States Senator Charles E. Schumer has called on the Long Island Rail Road to establish a commuters’ bill of rights, similar to a passenger’s bill of rights established for the airline industry, after trains on the LIRR this month were delayed for hours when lightening caused signal problems at the Jamaica station.
   
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.
   
Senator Schumer’s call comes on the heels of several major service disruptions over the last year, including this month when seven trains were stranded between stations for almost three hours.
    
In at least one case, passengers were stranded on a train yards from a platform and in others, passengers self-evacuated onto actual tracks, in order to get off the trains.
   
The LIRR system is one of the busiest commuter railroads in North America, serving approximately 265,000 passengers each weekday. A monthly ticket between Bellmore and New York’s Pennsylvania Station is $254 for a commuter who is traveling during rush hour.
   
“For the amount of money that Long Island commuters pay to use the railroad, they should at the very least expect not to have to sit in packed, idling train cars for up to three hours and should expect greater notice of delays and direction on alternative transportation options,” said Senator Schumer.
   
In April, a massive service disruption due to poorly scheduled Amtrak maintenance work in tunnels lasted more than three hours during the evening rush, stranding tens of thousands of passengers heading home for the Passover holiday.
   
These delays and system failures are part of a series of at least 12 major delays or shutdowns since August 2010, said Senator Schumer, 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 major signal improvements on the Babylon branch would cause some delays.
He also explained that, although 75% of the ridership at Penn Station was for the LIRR, “we [LIRR] don’t own Penn Station. There are 21 tracks and we have use of seven tracks.”
   
Larry Rubinstein, a Bellmore resident who sits on the LIRR Commuters’ Council, added that “Amtrak has control,” referring to maintenance and scheduling problems that have occurred between the LIRR and Amtrak.
   
“Whether its maintenance, weather or human error that causes these disruptions, the victims are always the same: LIRR commuters, who pay a significant cost to ride the train,” said Mr. Schumer. “We need to ensure that no matter the cause, passengers have the right to be treated fairly and comfortable.
   
Senator Schumer said the commuters’ bill of rights would 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.  
   
The bill would 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.
 
The bill of rights would also 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 must provide basic provisions, like water, for customers who are stuck on trains for extended periods of time.
   
State Senator Charles Fuschillo, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said “I spoke with Helena Williams [president of the LIRR]. 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.

By Laura Schofer

Laura Schofer, staff writer for L&M Publications, has been recognized with several awards for many of her feature pieces published in Bellmore and Merrick Life, The Citizen and The Leader.