Worker strike ends, LIRR restores full service to New York City

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority restarted Long Island Rail Road service at noon on Tuesday, May 19, after a tentative agreement with five unions ended a three-day strike that had shut down the railroad. The first scheduled departure was the 12:03 p.m. train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma, according to LIRR service updates and local broadcast reports. Initial service returned first on the Babylon, Huntington, Port Washington and Ronkonkoma branches, with the agency saying all branches would be back on normal weekday schedules by the evening rush. Gov. Kathy Hochul said late Monday that the MTA and the unions had reached “a fair deal” that ended the walkout. ### Which trains came back first after the strike ended? The 12:03 p.m. Penn Station-to-Ronkonkoma train was the first departure announced as the railroad resumed operations. Rob Free, the LIRR president, said crews had spent the overnight hours repositioning equipment and completing federally required inspections before trains could move again. (mta.info) By noon, hourly service had resumed on four electrified branches: Babylon, Huntington, Port Washington and Ronkonkoma. FOX 5 New York and ABC7’s live updates listed the first departures on those lines, while the MTA said riders should expect delays and cancellations as trains and crews were put back into place. ### Why didn’t service return for the morning commute? (longisland.news12.com) The tentative agreement was announced Monday night, but the railroad said it could not safely restart in time for Tuesday morning. The New York Times and Gothamist reported that limited service would not begin until noon because the LIRR needed several hours to inspect trains, restore equipment and rebuild operating plans after the shutdown. (fox5ny.com) Tuesday morning, the MTA kept shuttle buses and alternate travel options in place while rail service remained suspended. The agency said those backup options would continue into the afternoon rush even after trains started running again. ### What did the MTA say about full service? The MTA said Tuesday that the railroad was “back to moving Long Islanders” and that service had resumed in time for the evening rush. (nytimes.com) Its public updates said all electric and diesel branches were expected to return to normal weekday schedules by 4 p.m., a timetable also cited by ABC7 and News 12. (mta.info) PIX11 reported that hourly service had resumed on the Ronkonkoma, Babylon, Port Washington and Huntington branches shortly after noon. Bloomberg reported that the MTA expected full operations by the evening but warned that disruptions were still possible as service normalized. ### How long had the strike lasted, and who was involved? (mta.info) The strike ended late Monday, May 18, after the MTA and five unions reached a tentative contract agreement. Multiple reports said the walkout lasted three days and involved unions representing a large share of the LIRR workforce. (pix11.com) Kathy Hochul announced the deal Monday night, and MTA Chair and Chief Executive Janno Lieber said the strike would officially end at midnight so preparations for service restoration could begin. The terms of the agreement were not fully released in the initial public statements Tuesday morning. ### Where were riders told to look for updates? (politico.com) The MTA directed riders to TrainTime and mta.info for the latest schedules as trains returned in phases. FOX 5 New York said officials urged commuters to check those tools before traveling because branch-by-branch restoration could still produce cancellations or changes. On Tuesday evening, the next milestone was the return of full weekday service across all branches, including diesel territory, under the railroad’s regular schedule. (cbsnews.com) The MTA said shuttle buses would remain available through the p.m. rush while the last parts of the system were restored. (mta.info) (fox5ny.com)