Senate Passes Legislation To Refund LIRR Customers

Long Island Rail Road commuters may finally get the justice they deserve after suffering through repeated delays, cancellations and “Amtrak’s inadequate maintenance,” the New York State Senate announced.

The Senate passed legislation on Monday that would withhold the state’s payments to Amtrak, which operates Penn Station, and return the savings to the commuters.

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Sen. Elaine Phillips, R-C, Manhasset, who sponsored the bill, said the only thing commuters can rely on the LIRR for is to be unreliable.

“It’s totally unacceptable,” she said. “Like any tenant, LIRR riders should get a refund when the landlord is not meeting their obligations to deliver services.”

The bill would authorize the the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to discontinue all payments to Amtrak. The Senate says this would help compensate commuters affected the numerous delays and cancellations.

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The withheld payments would be directed back to commuters through saving on fares. The payments could be withheld all the way to the end of 2017, unless service at Penn Station is restored to 95-percent on-time performance for at least one month, the Senate said.

On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed for New York State to take over Penn Station, either by the Port Authority or by an independent contractor and be completely rebuilt.

Amtrak has proposed a six-week construction plan this summer aimed at repairing infrastructure work that Cuomo said would create even more delays for the 600,000 Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit commuters who have already suffered enough.

LIRR commuters have dealt with insane amounts of delays and cancellations over the past few months. Earlier this month, access to Penn Station was restricted due to overcrowding, and multiple trains were canceled due to signal trouble. In April, the LIRR suffered delays, cancellations and diverted routes for an entire week during morning and afternoon rush hour. In response to these delays, The Milleridge Inn in Jericho held a "LIRR Sucks Party" earlier this month and offered a free drink to all train riders.

The numerous delays, cancellations and diverted routes have put commuters’ jobs in jeopardy and paralyzed the region's economy, the Senate says.

More than $60 million was lost in productivity after about 7.5 million LIRR riders suffered delays or had rides canceled or terminated before reaching their destination in 2016, according to a state report released this year.

“I’m pleased the Senate has acted in a bipartisan manner to help provide much needed relief to commuters who have been enduring a recurring nightmare for far too long,” Phillips said.

Image via Flickr Creative Commons/Joe Shlabotnik