Survey Says Riders Hate The Long Island Rail Road

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Beach, launched a survey to see how riders felt about the Long Island Rail Road and its service. With more than 560 people responding, Kaminsky has released the results. And, probably not surprisingly, people are not happy with the LIRR.

The survey asked riders how they felt about the timeliness of trains, responsiveness of the LIRR, conditions of the trains and Penn Station, and more. The data that Kaminsky gathered showed that only 18 percent of respondants were happy with their LIRR experience. That's a far cry from a poll the LIRR did that had rider satisfaction at 77 percent.

“Long Island Rail Road commuters pay a lot of money for a poor, unsafe and unreliable ride,” said Kaminsky. “This survey is an important step to acquire a firsthand view of what is really going on at the LIRR. Commuters feel that they are paying far too much for poor service, dangerous conditions and an uncomfortable ride. The MTA would have us believe through their shoddy statistics that everything is okay, but these results tell quite a different story. In Albany, I will continue to hold the LIRR accountable and ensure they hear my constituents’ message loud and clear: the time for LIRR reform is now.”

Kaminsky and members of his staff surveyed riders at stations within the 9th Senate District, including Baldwin, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Malverne, Oceanside, Rockville Centre, Valley Stream and Woodmere, as well as was online. Commuters were asked to rate several aspects of the LIRR’s service on a ten-point scale, and were also afforded the ability to make specific comments about the railroad.

The majority of respondants said that the conditions at Penn Station were crowded and unsafe. And just as many felt they didn't get their money's worth from their LIRR commute. Overall, people said they were unsatisfied with their LIRR commute. The majority of those that answered the survey -- 86 percent -- were daily riders.

“The LIRR has a responsibility to keep their customers up to date to the minute and we're constantly in the dark about what's going on with delays, even when on the train -- conductors say nothing," Tessa, an East Rockaway resident, told Kaminsky. "Feels unsafe and irresponsible. The train bathrooms are almost always out of order. The floors of the trains look as if they get cleaned, maybe, once a month. Taking the LIRR to work is the bane of my existence and recently caused me to have a breakdown. I worked home for 3 months to get over it. I can't believe I pay $300 a month for their services.”

In a statement, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said that the transportation giant is working to address the problems and make the LIRR a better experience for riders.

“Phil Eng was recently brought in to turn around LIRR performance, and that is exactly what he is doing by delivering an ambitious program that identifies the causes of delays and gets them fixed quickly," Lhota said. "Beyond that, the MTA is investing a record $6 billion to modernize the Long Island Rail Road with the Double Track, Third Track, new cars, new stations and more. The LIRR is the engine of Long Island’s economy and will move nearly 90 million passengers this year, which is exactly why we are working harder than ever to deliver the service LIRR customers deserve.”

Photo: Patch