Monday hearing on LIRR cuts
Railroad: Greenport line needs large subsidies
3 comments below
"These service reductions will cause the least amount of inconvenience to the least number of riders," LIRR president Helena Williams said in a statement. "While these cuts are painful for employees and for our customers, they are necessary. The LIRR needs to be more cost efficient."
The cutbacks will be the subject of a public hearing next Monday night, March 8, at 6 p.m. in the Riverhead County Center's legislative auditorium.
The speakers are likely to include local elected officials who have roundly criticized the cuts that the Metropolitan Transit Authority proposed last month to help close a $400 million budget deficit. Southold Supervisor Scott Russell described the combination of the loss of local train service, except on summer weekends, and the MTA's relatively new business tax of 34 cents for every $100 companies throughout Suffolk County spend on payroll, "taxation without transportation." In response, the area's state lawmakers have introduced bills to set a referendum on the creation of an East End transit authority, which would replace the MTA and provide public transportation on the two forks.
In support of its case, the LIRR contends that its Greenport branch carried 69,986 riders east of Ronkonkoma last year, the lowest of its 11 branches. That generated $726,304 in revenues, which it said falls far short of its $6 million operating cost. The railroad also contends that while its expenses total $85.91 per customer, the average fare is only $10.36.
MTA officials have previously contended the authority stood to save about $900,000 with the cuts
Ticket sales cover only 12 percent of the cost of running trains between Greenport and Ronkonkoma, according to the LIRR. On the Babylon branch, the system's busiest, fairs cover 51 percent of what it takes to carry passengers between Babylon and Penn Station, according to the LIRR.
Critics say poor ridership on the East End comes from schedules unfriendly to commuters and an overall lack of trains.
tkelly@timesreview.com
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3 comments found
All Aboard for New Ideas : 3/16/2010
Where are the alternatives? Has a light rail system ever been considered between Greenport and Riverhead with frequent connections to Ronkonkoma on the LIRR? Create the service people need. Increase access to for the entire North Fork residents and tourism and beyond and reduce the stress on the roadways. In other communities, light rail has been a solution. Why not on the North Fork? Otherwise, I am no shocked that ridership is low on the Greenport Line with the slowest and most inconvenient service of the LIRR system? The time schedule is horrible. People are willing to pay double to get to Manhattan in two hours with frequent service over three hours by train. It is all about service and the competition and the LIRR doesn’t appear to understand the needs in order to compete and attract the riders it desires. If you cut service, you lose something you will never get back.
We need more ideas and solutions?
Right on : 3/4/2010
That sums it up as well as anything I read about the issue. Well Said! Sincerely ,Scott Russell
It's a Shame... : 3/4/2010
The LIRR seems to have operated this line to simply minimize losses over the past years rather than maximize potential. I have never ridden the line, but being a rain fan, I had one day hoped to... It seems that with a few additional trains on the eastern branch, they could easily attract riders away from Ronkonkoma, and encourage new riders both east of Ronkonkoma due to the increased service and at Ronkonkoma as the station becomes less crowded. Top it all off by offering reasonably frequent service to Riverhead on the weekends for shopping AND coinciding trains with the CT ferry schedule, this line could be producing SIGNIFICANTLY more ridership! It really is a crying shame to see the MTA manage the LIRR into the ground... It would be far more efficient to spin the two railroads off into a separate entity since the interests of NYC transit is clearly not aligned with those of the LIRR or MTNRR.
