LIRR trains still not running after strike ends, making for hectic morning commute
Long Island Rail Road riders have to get through one more morning without the train after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and unions reached a tentative deal to end the strike.
The MTA said crews need time to complete mandatory safety inspections and get employees back into position after about 3,500 union workers walked off the job Saturday morning.
A deal was reached just before 9 p.m. Monday after intense negotiations throughout the weekend. The strike officially ended at midnight, but train service won't be resuming until noon Tuesday.
The MTA's strike contingency plan remains in effect for Tuesday's morning rush, including the limited free shuttle bus service.
Is the LIRR running today?
Four major branches will have hourly service starting at noon. Those include the Port Washington, Huntington, Ronkonkoma and Babylon branches.
Full service across the entire system is expected to return by 4 p.m.
Commuters in the morning can either work from home, drive or take a free shuttle. The shuttle service to Queens will run from 4:30 a.m. until 9 a.m.
The MTA said it has 13,000 seats available on the buses departing from six Long Island locations. Only 2,100 people took the bus Monday, transportation officials said.
Those who did try the shuttles yesterday found mixed results.
"Just a really big inconvenience. I gotta get to Bay Shore, so I'm going from here to Ronkonkoma, then have to find a way to get to Bay Shore ferry to work on Fire Island," a Queens resident said.
The agreement comes just in time, with Madison Square Garden expecting huge crowds Wednesday night for Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
LIRR strike update today
Union leaders and Gov. Kathy Hochul called it a fair agreement.
"We cannot discuss the specifics, but what we can say is that we are looking forward to our members getting back to work and doing what they do best, which is serving the region," said union representative Kevin Sexton.
"The whole point was that we needed to find ways that we could give people fair raises but also structure it in a way that didn't blow the MTA's budget. We got it done," said MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber.
Specific details have not been released yet. The agreement is still being ratified by members of the unions.
Once that's complete, it will have to be approved at a future MTA board meeting.
