The ineptitude of Long Island Rail Road’s management was again on display last week with its decision to reject a request from South Fork leaders to run at least one train on summer Fridays as part of the very popular South Fork Commuter Connection.
In 1994, the East End Economic and Environmental Task Force first advocated for a LIRR shuttle service on the South Fork to address seasonal traffic congestion. After 25 years of pleading from local officials, the LIRR finally saw the light and instituted the SFCC in 2019.
Although only limited service is possible because there is only one track, the LIRR instituted two additional trains eastbound on the South Fork in the morning and two additional westbound trains in the afternoon. Further, the State Legislature provided $500,000 annually for “last mile” bus service to get commuters to work in the morning and back to the train station in the afternoon.
Even with the limited schedule and the temporary suspension of the SFCC during the height of COVID, ridership has grown steadily in recent months. In fact, the LIRR added an additional car to the service last week, after riders had complained for weeks about overcrowding.
Even with growing ridership, the LIRR inexplicably stated earlier this year that they were not going to provide any service on summer Fridays, because trains were needed elsewhere for seasonal service. How can the LIRR expect to grow ridership if workers can only use the train four out of five weekdays in the summer?
In response, South Fork elected officials partnered with major employers in April to request that the LIRR provide at least one morning train on summer Fridays (one afternoon train is already part of the schedule). This service would not conflict with the summer Friday afternoon “cannonball” to the South Fork.
Last week, this modest request was rejected by the LIRR.
The impact of this shortsighted decision is obvious. Fewer workers will use the SFCC if they can’t use it every day. The trade parade will be worse, especially on summer Fridays, the most congested traffic days of the year.
Unfortunately, this lack of foresight is not an isolated decision.
In the 1980s, when the South Fork experienced its first construction boom, the demand for transportation from New York City to the East End exploded. The LIRR could have made a fortune, but they failed to meet the moment. Instead, the Hampton Jitney filled the breach. The LIRR lost both the increased revenues and the new ridership.
Instead of increasing ridership, the LIRR has had to be bailed out time and again. Taxpayers have paid the price. An additional sales tax, an additional mortgage tax, and, most recently, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax have been imposed to keep the LIRR afloat. In fact, the LIRR would be bankrupt today if the federal government had not provided $15 billion in COVID aid to the MTA.
The growth on the East End in the last decade has outpaced the rest of Long Island. Yet the LIRR ignores the potential for increased ridership and revenue in our region.
A few years back, the LIRR promised to improve the infrastructure on the South Fork by providing multiple sidings so that trains could pass each other. To date, they have done nothing. With this increase in infrastructure, a robust commuter service could be developed, with trains every half hour instead of every two hours.
The South Fork could also benefit from a conversion to battery-powered trains, instead of diesels, helping New York to meet its climate goals.
Without these innovations, the East End will face ever-worsening traffic congestion that will destroy our quality of life.
The LIRR has failed us time and again over the years. These failures have contributed to the traffic congestion we see today on Route 27, County Road 39 and State Route 24.
We are at another turning point. The LIRR must be part of solving the traffic and transportation problems on the South Fork. We cannot endure another failure. The LIRR needs to either lead, follow or get out of the way.
A good start would be providing service on summer Fridays. It should be the first step to providing the increased public transit we need to address the East End’s transportation woes.
State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., a Sag Harbor resident, represents the 1st District in the Assembly, which includes the South Fork.
More Posts from Viewpoint
