Oh, LIRR

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Lifestyle

Is anyone out there in Gotham land just a little frustrated with their LIRR commute (like me)?  I think I’m lucky – and even I am complaining.

 

For years, our office was on the east side and I watched as construction tore up the streets to bring a shiny new terminal for the LIRR within just a few blocks of my office.  Fast forward, and as if timed for our move, just a few months after my office moved away from the east side, lo and behold, the LIRR opened at Grand Central.

 

Every day is now a continuing adventure.  Each train is packed with often lots of people standing.  Did I mention that there are fewer cars on each train now too?  Not to mention . . . the new schedule took away a number of my favorite trains and moved every single other.

 

Oh please, will this get better anytime soon?

 

Comments

Rona Gura

And there's no place to sit in the "new" Penn Station. I got to Penn Friday night and just missed the train. So I had a 45 minute wait to the next train. Normally I would happily sit in the waiting area and read my Kindle. But now there is absolutely no place to sit. I hoe that changes soon.
I also too the train into Grand Central this past weekend. It was a bit disconcerting and confusing given my many many years of commuting into Penn Station. And yes, the escalator up to Grand Central is just as long and high as everyone says.
Fred Klein

One of my new incarnation blessings is minimal commuting. Sorry, but I paid the price :(
Shawn Bernabeu

Its been hell! I'm so bothered by this there are not enough characters for me to write in this post! They took away all the direct train lines on Long Island and changed all the schedules. My 36 minute train ride is now 55-60 minutes. They spent $11 billion on this! The other day I got on a 755am Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn train at RVC, the train pulled into Jamaica station and everyone got off, maybe 10-20 people stayed on the train and they essentially sent an empty train to Brooklyn while everyone else cursed and screamed on the Jamaica platform. Its a disaster! A true lesson on how government can take something that has worked for decades, not perfectly but at least it worked, and make it worse off at tax payers expense. Part of the problem, I think, is that it seems the politicians making these decisions don't ride the train for the most part. They might ride once and while but they are not likely everyday commuters into NYC. $11billion well spent :)
Daniel Schwartz

Typical cost of progress in the city.. NY has a number of issues with planning and it it seems it's too expensive and the end result is often worse that what was originally thought. I am sure if asked 10 years ago if this station connection was wanted at the cost of having to change trains and reduced cars, etc. The answer would have been no. But mention a great new way to get to the east side and leave out the negative part and boom, billions wasted in my opinion. Glad I do not need to take the train...
Nancy Schess

Funny, I actually think the idea is a good one. As someone who commuted for more than 20 years to the east side from LI, East Side access seemed a luxury almost too good to be true. I think the problem here is implementation -- equipment and staffing with a failure to really understand the needs of their consumers. We will see . . .

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