LIRR Restores Full Evening Rush Service

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said full Long Island Rail Road service would return for the Tuesday evening rush after a tentative contract deal ended a three-day strike by five unions. Limited service resumed at noon on May 19 on four electrified branches, and LIRR President Rob Free said normal weekday schedules on all branches would be back by 4 p.m. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the agreement late Monday after negotiations that stretched through the weekend and into the evening. The strike had shut down the railroad since 12:01 a.m. Saturday and disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of riders. ### When did trains start moving again? The MTA said service resumed at noon Tuesday, with the first phase focused on the Babylon, Huntington, Port Washington and Ronkonkoma branches. ABC7 reported that the first scheduled post-strike departure from Penn Station was the 12:03 p.m. train to Ronkonkoma. NBC New York later reported that an 11:41 a.m. train from Jamaica to Montauk actually left before noon. (cbsnews.com) Rob Free said the railroad could not restart in time for the morning commute because crews had to be recalled, trains repositioned and federally required inspections completed before service could resume. CBS New York quoted Free as saying hourly service would begin at noon on the four electrified branches, followed by full peak service for the afternoon and evening rush. (abc7ny.com) ### Why wasn’t the morning commute restored right away? The strike officially ended at midnight, but MTA officials said restarting the system required several operational steps. ABC7 reported that crew dispatchers had to call workers back, assign them to trains and move equipment out of yards before service could be restored. The same report said tracks also had to be inspected under federal guidelines. (cbsnews.com) Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chief executive, said workers were reporting back overnight to prepare the railroad for service. CBS New York reported that Lieber told reporters train service would not be available for the Tuesday morning commute even though the work stoppage had ended. ### What did officials say about the labor deal? Kathy Hochul said Monday night that the MTA and the five LIRR unions had reached what she called a fair agreement that delivers raises for workers while protecting riders and taxpayers. (abc7ny.com) CBS New York reported that the deal was announced shortly before 9 p.m. Monday after bargaining resumed with help from the National Mediation Board. (cbsnews.com) ABC7 reported that the tentative agreement includes a four-year contract with a six-week extension, annual raises of 3%, 3%, 3.5% and 4.5% in the final year, a $3,000 lump-sum payment and retroactive pay. NBC New York reported similar terms, saying the final-year increase would be about 3.8% before a lump-sum payment brought it closer to 4.5%, citing sources. The unions still must submit the agreement to members for ratification. (cbsnews.com) ### How many riders were affected? CBS New York said the Long Island Rail Road serves roughly 300,000 daily commuters. ABC7 said the shutdown forced about 250,000 weekday riders to work from home or find alternate routes into and out of New York City. NBC New York described it as the first LIRR strike in more than 30 years. The MTA kept some contingency service in place even after trains resumed. (abc7ny.com) The agency said limited shuttle buses remained available for the evening peak, and it directed riders to 511, TrainTime and MTA service updates for trip planning. The MTA also said it intended to issue prorated refunds to May monthly ticket holders for business days affected by the strike, pending board approval. (cbsnews.com) ### What should commuters watch next? The MTA said riders should expect normal weekday service on all branches from 4 p.m. Tuesday, though officials warned that delays and cancellations were still possible as equipment and crews returned to their usual positions. NBC New York said the railroad expected to be fully running again before Tuesday night’s Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. The next immediate milestone is union ratification of the tentative contract, while riders can monitor branch-specific service in the TrainTime app and on MTA service alerts. (mta.info) (abc7ny.com)