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Long Island Rail Road

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}}{{#ifeq:|no||)}}, or LIRR, is a railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Island. The railroad currently operates a public commuter rail service, with its freight operations contracted to the New York and Atlantic Railway. With an average weekday ridership of 354,800 passengers in 2016, it is the busiest commuter railroad in North America.<ref name="APTA-2016-Q4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is also one of the world's few commuter systems that run 24/7 year-round.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is publicly owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which refers to it as MTA Long Island Rail Road. In Template:American transit ridership, the system had a ridership of Template:American transit ridership, or about Template:American transit ridership per weekday as of Template:American transit ridership.

The LIRR logo combines the circular MTA logo with the text Long Island Rail Road, and appears on the sides of trains. The LIRR is one of two commuter rail systems owned by the MTA, the other being the Metro-North Railroad in the northern suburbs of the New York area. Established in 1834 (the first section between the Brooklyn waterfront and Jamaica opened on April 18, 1836) and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest railroad in the United States still operating under its original name and charter.<ref name="LIRR175">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=abouttheLIRR/>

There are 126 stations and more than Template:Convert of track<ref name="abouttheLIRR">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> on its two main lines running the full length of the island and eight major branches, with the passenger railroad system totaling Template:Convert.<ref name="mtabudget">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:As of, the LIRR's budget for expenditures was $1.6 billion plus $450 million for debt service, which it supports through the collection of fares (which cover 43% of total expenses) along with dedicated taxes and other MTA revenue.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Brennan, Jim. "LIRR's Heavy Subsidies and the Coming Debate Over MTA Funding", Gotham Gazette, January 10, 2019. Accessed March 9, 2022. "The data show the LIRR farebox will contribute 43.4% of the LIRR's operating costs in 2019 and declines to about 38% by 2022.... This analysis shows that the Long Island Rail Road's deficit is $1.345 billion a year and is more than 18% of the MTA's total deficit, although its fare and other operating revenue provide about 12% of the MTA's total revenue."</ref>

HistoryEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:George Bradford Brainerd (American, 1845-1887). Station, Bay Shore, Long Island, September 1879.jpg
Station, Bay Shore, Long Island, September 1879., a collodion silver glass wet plate negative by George Bradford Brainerd now on display at the Brooklyn Museum
File:Long Island Railroad 100th Anniversary cover 1934.jpg
LIRR (Montauk & NY) RPO cover (TR27) for the railroad's 100th anniversary in April 1934

The Long Island Rail Road Company was chartered in 1834 to provide a daily service between New York City and Boston via a ferry connection between its Greenport, New York, terminal on Long Island's North Fork and Stonington, Connecticut. This service was superseded in 1849 by the land route through Connecticut that became part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The LIRR refocused its attentions towards serving Long Island, in competition with other railroads on the island. In the 1870s, railroad president Conrad Poppenhusen and his successor, Austin Corbin acquired all the railroads and consolidated them into the LIRR.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The LIRR was unprofitable for much of its history. In 1900, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) bought a controlling interest as part of its plan for direct access to Manhattan which began on September 8, 1910. The wealthy PRR subsidized the LIRR during the first half of the new century, allowing expansion and modernization.<ref name=LIRR175 /> Electric operation began in 1905.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

After World War II, the railroad industry's downturn and dwindling profits caused the PRR to stop subsidizing the LIRR, and the LIRR went into receivership in 1949. The State of New York, realizing how important the railroad was to Long Island's future, began to subsidize the railroad in the 1950s and 1960s. In June 1965, the state finalized an agreement to buy the LIRR from the PRR for $65 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The LIRR was placed under the control of a new Metropolitan Commuter Transit Authority.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The MCTA was rebranded the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968 when it incorporated several other New York City-area transit agencies.<ref name="QnsGazette-QnsPubTrans-51stBDay-2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> With MTA subsidies the LIRR modernized further, continuing to be the busiest commuter railroad in the United States.<ref name=LIRR175 />

The LIRR is one of the few railroads that have survived as intact companies from their original charters to the present.<ref name=LIRR175 />

21st century expansionsEdit

East Side AccessEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The East Side Access project built a LIRR spur to Grand Central Terminal that will run in part via the lower level of the existing 63rd Street Tunnel.<ref name=":3">Project overview Template:Webarchive, MTA, Accessed June 7, 2018</ref> The East Side Access project added a new eight-track terminal called Grand Central Madison underneath the existing Grand Central Terminal.<ref name=":3" /> The project was first proposed in the 1968 Program for Action, but due to various funding shortfalls, construction did not start until 2007.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:As of, the project was expected to cost $11.1 billion and was tentatively scheduled to start service in December 2022.<ref name="Siff 2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Castillo 2018">Template:Cite news</ref> It opened on January 25, 2023, with limited shuttle service between Jamaica and Grand Central.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Full service to Grand Central began on February 27, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Several "readiness projects" were also completed to increase peak-hour capacity across the LIRR system in preparation for expanded peak-hour service after the completion of East Side Access.<ref name="TimesLedger Readiness">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Jan 2013">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Nov 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The LIRR constructed a new platform for Atlantic Terminal-bound trains at Jamaica station,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> converting most Atlantic Branch service between these two stations into a high-frequency shuttle.<ref name="MTA-LIRR-Hicksville-2016" /> The LIRR also installed a new storage track east of Massapequa and extended one east of Great Neck station,<ref name="Nov 2017" /><ref name="Great Neck Record">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in addition to expanding the train yard at Ronkonkoma.<ref name="Nov 2017" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="schedule">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An expansion of the yard at Port Washington was also proposed, but Template:As of, the MTA has not come to an agreement with the Town of North Hempstead,<ref name="Nov 2020">Template:Cite report</ref>Template:Rp resulting in the project being postponed indefinitely.<ref name="senate092822">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Nov 2021">Template:Cite report</ref>Template:Rp

There are also plans to build a new station in the Queens neighborhood of Sunnyside, in between the New York terminals and the Woodside station, serving as a rail hub for all LIRR branches and potentially some Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains, as well.<ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Sunnyside station is to be built after the completion of East Side Access, due to current capacity constraints.<ref name=":4" />

  • ESA Progress Photos - Concourse and Terminal - 40254364453.jpg

    One of Grand Central Madison's lower-level platforms under construction in January 2019

  • Massapequa Pocket Track with Third rail.jpg

    The new pocket track in Massapequa, located in between the two outer tracks, as viewed from a passing Babylon Branch train

  • Platform F construction from AirTrain, August 2019.JPG

    Construction on Jamaica's new platform in August 2019

Main Line projectsEdit

File:WyandanchDoubleTracks2018RRCrossing.jpg
The completed second track, as viewed from the reconstructed Wyandanch station.

In 2012, the LIRR started adding a second track along the formerly single-tracked section of the Main Line between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma stations to increase track capacity and allow for enhanced service options.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The project was completed in September 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

As part of the preparations for East Side Access's opening,<ref name="MTA 2007 Third Track Presentation">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the LIRR also widened the two-track sections of the Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville stations to three tracks, in addition to eliminating each of the grade crossings and rebuilding all of the stations along this stretch of the Main Line.<ref name="NYT Fitzsimmons 01.05.2016">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="MTA Third Track 01.05.2016">Template:Cite press release</ref> Work on the third-track project started in September 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The project was completed in 2022, in time for the opening of East Side Access.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The larger Belmont Park Redevelopment Project called for a new Elmont station between the Queens Village and Bellerose stations on the Main Line, to better serve the new UBS Arena in the Nassau County neighborhood of Elmont.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is the first new station built by the LIRR in nearly 50 years; the last new station added was the former Southampton College station on the Montauk Branch, which opened in 1976 and closed in 1998, due to low ridership and the high cost of installing high-level platforms for the then-new C3 railcars.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The eastbound platform of the Elmont station officially opened in November 2021,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while the westbound platform opened in October 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Major stationsEdit

Template:See also

File:Penn Station LIRR 2017.jpg
The former LIRR ticket counter at New York Penn Station, which displays all locations accessible from Penn Station
File:LIC Yard-9-21-04.jpg
Long Island City station and yard

The LIRR operates out of four western terminals in New York City. These terminals are:

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Service to the new terminal began on January 25, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Provision was made for this route on the lower level of the 63rd Street Tunnel under the East River, which carries the New York City Subway's IND 63rd Street Line (Template:NYCS trains) on its upper level. The East Side Access project is expected to reduce congestion while increasing the number of trains during peak hours.<ref>U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Transportation Secretary Signs Record $2.6 Billion Agreement to Fund New Tunnel Network To Give Long Island Commuters Direct Access to Grand Central Station Template:Webarchive, December 18, 2006</ref><ref>Second Avenue Sagas, East Side in-Access: A mid-project post mortem Template:Webarchive, January 29, 2014</ref> It serves as the primary terminal for the Hempstead Branch and serves all other electrified branches (as the LIRR's diesel fleet has a loading gauge too large for the 63rd Street Tunnel).<ref name="liw010620">Template:Cite news</ref>

In addition, the Jamaica station is a major hub station and transfer point in Jamaica, Queens. It has ten tracks and six platforms, plus yard and bypass tracks. Passengers can transfer between trains on all LIRR lines except the Port Washington Branch.<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> The sixth platform opened in February 2020, and exclusively serves Atlantic Branch shuttle trains to Brooklyn.<ref name="MTA-LIRR-Hicksville-2016">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Transfer is also made to separate facilities for three subway services at the Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station (Template:NYCS trains), a number of bus routes, and the AirTrain automated people mover to JFK Airport.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The railroad's headquarters are next to the station.<ref>MTA LIRR – Employment Opportunities Template:Webarchive (includes mailing address)</ref>

Passenger lines and servicesEdit

Template:Long Island Rail Road RDT

File:LIRR schematic.svg
A schematic of the LIRR's routes, as well as the fare zones. This schematic is not to scale.

The Long Island Rail Road system has eleven passenger branches, three of which are main trunk lines:<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Main Line, running along the middle of the island, between Long Island City and Greenport, via Jamaica.<ref name=":5" />
  • Montauk Branch, running along the southern edge of the island, between Long Island City and Montauk, via Jamaica.<ref name=":5" />
  • Atlantic Branch, running mostly in New York City to the south of both the Main Line and Montauk Branch, between Atlantic Terminal and Valley Stream, via Jamaica.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

There are eight minor branches.<ref name=":5" /> For scheduling and advertising purposes some of these branches are divided into sections; this is the case with the Montauk Branch, which is known as the Babylon Branch service in the electrified portion of the line between Jamaica and Babylon, while the diesel service beyond Babylon to Montauk is referred to as Montauk Branch service. All branches except the Port Washington Branch pass through Jamaica; the trackage west of Jamaica (except the Port Washington Branch) is known as the City Terminal Zone. The City Terminal Zone includes portions of the Main Line, Atlantic, and Montauk Branches, as well as the Amtrak-owned East River Tunnels to Penn Station.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Current branchesEdit

File:LIRR Diesel Regions Map.jpg
A map of diesel territory on the Long Island Rail Road
  • The Main Line runs from Long Island City east to Greenport. It is electrified west of the Ronkonkoma station; limited diesel train service runs from this point to the Yaphank, Riverhead, or Greenport stations. Trains using the East River Tunnels from Penn Station join the line at Sunnyside Yard. The services that run along this line are named after the branches they use; trains beyond Hicksville, where the Port Jefferson Branch diverges, are known as Ronkonkoma Branch and Greenport Branch trains.
  • The Montauk Branch runs from Long Island City east to the Montauk station, with junctions with the Main Line at Long Island City and Jamaica. It is electrified from Jamaica east to Babylon. Trains operating east of Babylon are listed as Montauk Branch service and are hauled by diesel locomotives, while trains using the line from Jamaica to Babylon are labeled as Babylon Branch trains. The portion of the line between Long Island City and Jamaica, known as the Lower Montauk Branch, no longer carries passenger trains and is used only for freight service.
  • The electrified Atlantic Branch runs from Atlantic Terminal in Downtown Brooklyn east to Jamaica, where it meets the Main Line and the Montauk Branch, and then heads southeast to become the Long Beach Branch east of Valley Stream. East of Valley Stream, the Far Rockaway Branch turns south, while the West Hempstead Branch turns northward.
  • The electrified Port Washington Branch, the only one that does not serve Jamaica, branches from the Main Line west of Woodside (running parallel to the Main Line until Winfield Junction, which is east of that station) and runs east to Port Washington. It only serves four stations in Nassau County. It includes the Manhasset Viaduct, which is the highest bridge on the LIRR network.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • The Port Jefferson Branch splits from the Main Line east of Hicksville, with electric service to Huntington. The section from Huntington to Port Jefferson is served only by diesel trains. Until 1938, it continued east to Wading River.<ref name=steel>Ron Ziel and George H. Foster, Steel Rails to the Sunrise, ©1965</ref>Template:Rp
  • The electrified Hempstead Branch splits from the Main Line east of Elmont (running parallel to the Main Line until just after Floral Park) and runs east to Hempstead. At Garden City, the Garden City–Mitchel Field Secondary curves off and goes to Mitchel Field.
  • The electrified West Hempstead Branch splits from the Montauk Branch east of the Valley Stream station and runs northeast to West Hempstead, originally continuing to junctions with the Hempstead Branch and the Oyster Bay Branch at the Main Line.
  • The Oyster Bay Branch splits from the Main Line east of Mineola and heads north and east to Oyster Bay. The first section to East Williston is electrified;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> only diesel trains run along the majority of the line to Oyster Bay.<ref name="LIRR Stations p. 57">Template:Cite book</ref>
  • The diesel-only Central Branch runs southeast from the Main Line east of Bethpage to the Montauk Branch west of the Babylon station, giving an alternate route to the Montauk Branch east of Babylon. The Central Branch used to continue west from Bethpage to include what is now the Garden City–Mitchel Field Secondary. It was proposed to be electrified as part of the 2020–2024 MTA Capital Program.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Former branchesEdit

The railroad has dropped a number of branches due to lack of ridership over the years. Part of the Rockaway Beach Branch became part of the IND Rockaway Line of the New York City Subway, while others were downgraded to freight branches, and the rest abandoned entirely. Additionally, the Long Island Rail Road operated trains over portions of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) elevated and subway lines until 1917.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

  • The Bethpage Branch ran north from the Main Line and Central Branch at Bethpage.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • The Bushwick Branch, also called the Bushwick Lead Track, is a freight railroad branch that runs from Bushwick, Brooklyn, to Fresh Pond Junction in Queens, where it connects with the Montauk Branch.
  • The Camp Upton Branch was a short branch north from the Main Line to Camp Upton.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Page 252 Template:Webarchive</ref> Originally built by the Flushing and North Side Railroad, some of the surviving right-of-way can be found at the Arch Street Shops within the Sunnyside Yard.

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • The White Line, which was built by the LIRR subsidiary Newtown and Flushing Railroad ran south of the Port Washington Branch between Winfield Junction and Flushing between 1873 and 1876.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Additional servicesEdit

File:Shea Stadium (LIRR).jpg
The Mets-Willets Point station.

In addition to its daily commuter patronage, the LIRR also offers the following services:

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> With Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey's closure, this was discontinued in May 2017.

Intermodal connectionsEdit

File:Mineola LIRR 19.jpg
The Mineola Intermodal Center (bottom left), as seen prior to the commencement of the construction on the Main Line's third track.

Penn Station offers connections with Amtrak intercity trains and NJ Transit commuter trains, as well as the PATH, New York City Subway, and New York City Bus systems.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Grand Central offers connections with Metro-North Railroad, as well as the subway and bus systems. Additionally, almost all stations in Brooklyn and Queens offer connections with the New York City Bus system, and several stations also have transfers to New York City Subway stations.<ref>Template:Cite NYC bus map
Template:Cite NYC bus map</ref> Transfers to Nassau Inter-County Express and Suffolk County Transit buses are available at many stations in Nassau and Suffolk counties, respectively.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Fare structureEdit

Like Metro-North Railroad and NJ Transit, the Long Island Rail Road fare system is based on the distance a passenger travels, as opposed to the New York City Subway and the area's bus systems, which charge a flat rate. The railroad is broken up into eight non-consecutively numbered fare zones. Zone 1, the City Terminal Zone, includes Penn Station, Grand Central, all stations in Brooklyn, all stations in Queens west of Jamaica on the Main Line, and Mets–Willets Point.<ref>LIRR Fare Zones Template:Webarchive</ref>

Zone 3 includes Jamaica as well as all other stations in eastern Queens except Far Rockaway.<ref name="mta.info">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Zones 4 and 7 include all stations in Nassau County, plus Far Rockaway and Belmont Park in Queens.<ref name="mta.info"/> Zones 9, 10, 12 and 14 include all stations in Suffolk County.<ref name="mta.info"/> Each zone contains many stations, and the same fare applies for travel between any station in the origin zone and any station in the destination zone.<ref name="mta.info"/>

File:Bethpage LIRR Station; 2018-10-19; 19.jpg
LIRR ticket vending machines, as seen at the Bethpage station.

Peak and off-peak faresEdit

Peak fares are charged during the week on trains that arrive at western terminals between 6 AM and 10 AM, and for trains that depart from western terminals between 4 PM and 8 PM.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Any passenger holding an off-peak ticket on a peak train is required to pay a step up fee.<ref name="web.mta.info">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Passengers can buy tickets from ticket agents or ticket vending machines (TVMs) or on the train from conductors, but will incur an on-board penalty fee for doing so.<ref name="web.mta.info"/> This fee is waived for customers boarding at a station without a ticket office or ticket machine, senior citizens, people with disabilities or Medicare customers.<ref name="web.mta.info"/>

There are several types of tickets: one way, round trip, peak, off-peak, AM peak or off-peak senior/disabled, peak child, and off-peak child. On off-peak trains, passengers can buy a family ticket for children who are accompanied by an 18-year-old for $0.75 if bought from the station agent or TVM, $1.00 on the train. Senior citizen/disabled passengers traveling during the morning peak hours are required to pay the AM peak senior citizen/disabled rate. This rate is not charged during PM peak hours.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Commuters can also buy a peak or off-peak ten trip ride, a weekly unlimited or an unlimited monthly pass.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Monthly passes are good on any train regardless of the time of day, within the fare zones specified on the pass.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

The LIRR charged off-peak fares at all times during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Peak fares were reinstated on March 1, 2022, and several new discounts and ticket options were introduced at the same time.<ref>"Peak fares resume for LIRR and Metro-North riders", WABC-TV, March 1, 2022. Accessed March 9, 2022. "For the first time in nearly two years, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North have reinstated peak fares."</ref>

Special faresEdit

During the summer the railroad offers special summer package ticket deals to places such as Long Beach, Jones Beach, the Hamptons, Montauk, and Greenport. Passengers traveling to the Hamptons and Montauk on the Cannonball can reserve a seat in the all-reserved Parlor Cars.<ref name="MTA 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Prior to November 2021, passengers going to Belmont Park had to buy a special ticket to go from Jamaica to Belmont Park (or vice versa). Weekly and monthly passes were not accepted at Belmont Park.<ref name="mta.info1"/> With the opening of Elmont station in November 2021, Belmont Park and Elmont were placed into fare zone 4.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CityTicketEdit

In 2003, the LIRR and Metro-North started a pilot program in which passengers traveling within New York City were allowed to buy one-way tickets for $2.50.<ref name="Lisi 2003"/> The special reduced-fare CityTicket, proposed by the New York City Transit Riders Council,<ref name="Lisi 2003">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was formally introduced in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The discounted fares were initially only available for travel on Saturdays and Sundays.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In March 2022, it was expanded to include all off-peak trains throughout the week for $5.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The MTA announced plans in December 2022 to allow CityTickets to be used on peak trains as well;<ref name="Feldman 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Castillo 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> governor Kathy Hochul confirmed these plans the next month.<ref name="Martinez 2023">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The peak CityTickets, as announced in July 2023, would cost $7 each.<ref name="Kaye 2023 g749">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As part of a one-year pilot program starting in July 2024, monthly tickets for LIRR trips entirely within New York City would also receive a 10% discount.<ref name="CBS New York 2024 c370">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Simko-Bednarski 2024 p168">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CityTicket is valid for travel within Zones 1 and 3 on the Long Island Rail Road. CityTickets can only be bought before boarding – except at Mets–Willets Point, where they can be purchased on board; they must be used on the day of purchase.<ref name="mta.info1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CityTicket is not valid for travel to the Elmont station (located in Nassau County, just east of the Queens-Nassau border) – or the Far Rockaway or special event-only Belmont Park station (located in Queens, just west of the Queens-Nassau border) – and are all within Zone 4.<ref name="mta.info1" />

Long Island Rail Road stations where CityTickets are valid
Zone 1 Zone 3
Penn Station Jamaica
Grand Central Hollis
Woodside Queens Village
Forest Hills St. Albans
Kew Gardens Locust Manor
Atlantic Terminal Laurelton
Nostrand Avenue Rosedale
East New York Flushing-Main Street
Long Island City Murray Hill
Hunterspoint Avenue Broadway
Mets-Willets Point Auburndale
Bayside
Douglaston
Little Neck

Freedom TicketEdit

In late 2017, the MTA was slated to launch a pilot that will allow LIRR, bus and subway service to use one ticket.<ref name=amny20170208/> The proposal for the ticket, called the "Freedom Ticket," was initially put forth by the New York City Transit Riders Council (NYCTRC) in 2007.<ref name=pcac201512/>Template:Rp The NYCTRC wrote a proof of concept report in 2015.<ref name="amny20151202">Template:Cite news</ref> At the time of the report, express bus riders from Southeast Queens had some of the longest commutes in the city, with their commutes being 96 minutes long, yet they paid a premium fare of $6.50.<ref name="pcac201512"/>

Riders who take the dollar van to the subway paid $4.75 to get to Manhattan in 65 minutes; riders who only took the bus and subway paid $2.75 to get to Manhattan in 86 minutes; and riders who took the LIRR paid $10 to get to Manhattan in 35 minutes.<ref name="pcac201512">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Rp Unlike the CityTicket, the Freedom Ticket would be valid for off-peak and multidirectional travel; have free transfers to the subway and bus system; and be capped at $215 per month.<ref name=pcac201512/>Template:Rp At the time, monthly CityTickets cost $330 per month.<ref name=amny20151202/>

The Freedom Ticket will initially be available for sale at the Atlantic Terminal, Nostrand Avenue, and East New York stations in Brooklyn and at the Laurelton, Locust Manor, Rosedale, and St. Albans stations in Queens.<ref name="amny20170208" /><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> Riders, under the pilot, would be able to purchase one-way, weekly, or monthly passes that will be valid on the LIRR, on buses, and the subway. The fare will be higher than the price of a ride on the MetroCard, but it will be lower than the combined price of an LIRR ticket and a MetroCard, and it will allow unlimited free transfers between the LIRR, buses, and subway.<ref name=":1" />

The former head of the MTA, Thomas Prendergast, announced at the January 2017 board meeting that the plan would be explored in a field study to determine fares and the impact on existing service.<ref name="amny20170208" /> The plan is intended to fill approximately 20,000 unused seats of existing trains to Atlantic Terminal and Penn Station (or about 50% to 60% of peak trains in each direction),<ref name=":0" /> while at the same time providing affordable service to people with long commutes.<ref name=":1" /> The details were to be announced in spring 2017, and the pilot would last six months.<ref name="amny20170208">Template:Cite news</ref>

The MTA Board voted to approve a six-month pilot for a similar concept, the Atlantic Ticket, in May 2018. The Atlantic Ticket is similar in that it would allow LIRR riders in southeast Queens to purchase a one-way ticket to or from Atlantic Terminal for $5. The Atlantic Ticket would start in June 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The success of the pilot program has led the MTA to extend the program up to the summer of 2020 and renewed calls for the program to be implemented within New York City, where the fare for the Freedom Ticket—if approved—would cost US$2.75 and include free transfers between the LIRR & Metro-North, bus, and subway.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Far Rockaway TicketEdit

In May 2023, the MTA announced that, as part of wider fare changes and in response to requests from Far Rockaway residents, a discounted ticket option – the Far Rockaway Ticket – would be introduced for travelers traveling on the Far Rockaway Branch between Far Rockaway and other stations within New York City (excluding Belmont Park). This new ticket would provide the same discounts as a regular CityTicket, while also having protections against fare evasion, given the unique nature of the Far Rockaway Branch's route.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":12">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":22">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tickets can only be purchased at the Far Rockaway station or on the MTA's TrainTime app in the station's vicinity; geolocation restrictions on the TrainTime app only allow purchase of discounted tickets within the vicinity of the Far Rockaway station.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":22" />

The Far Rockaway Ticket became available for purchase on August 20, 2023.<ref name=":22" />

OMNYEdit

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In 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard fare payment system, used on New York City-area rapid transit and bus systems, would be phased out and replaced by OMNY, a contactless fare payment system. Fare payment would be made using Apple Pay, Google Pay, debit/credit cards with near-field communication enabled, or radio-frequency identification cards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As part of the implementation of OMNY, the MTA also plans to use the system in the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Combo TicketEdit

In December 2022, the MTA announced the launch of an additional fare for use on journeys that utilize both of its railroad systems via Grand Central. The fare is priced as $8 more than an adult off-peak ticket from an origin station on one system to Grand Central. It is valid on both peak and off-peak trains.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Train operationsEdit

File:LIRR Train Car Interior.JPG
The interior of an M7 car.

The LIRR is relatively isolated from the rest of the national rail system despite operating out of Penn Station, the nation's busiest rail terminal. It connects with other railroads in just two locations:

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="arrts-arrchives1927">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

All LIRR trains have an engineer (driver in non-US English) who operates the train, and a conductor who is responsible for the safe movement of the train, fare collection and on-board customer service. In addition, trains may have one or more assistant conductors to assist with fare collection and other duties. The LIRR is one of the last railroads in the United States to use mechanical interlocking control towers to regulate rail traffic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Template:As of, the LIRR has 8 active control towers. All movements on the LIRR are under the control of the Movement Bureau in Jamaica, which gives orders to the towers that control a specific portion of the railroad. Movements in Amtrak territory are controlled by Penn Station Control Center or PSCC, run jointly by the LIRR and Amtrak. The PSCC controls as far east as Harold Interlocking, in Sunnyside, Queens. The PSCC replaced several towers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Jamaica Control Center, operational since the third quarter of 2010, controls the area around Jamaica terminal by direct control of interlockings. This replaced several towers in Jamaica including Jay and Hall towers at the west and east ends of Jamaica station respectively. At additional locations, line side towers control the various switches and signals in accordance with the timetable and under the direction of the Movement Bureau in Jamaica.<ref>Bedia, Leigh. "LIRR Jamaica Station Control Center." Railpace January 2011 : P. 10.</ref>

Signal and safety systemsEdit

Today's LIRR signal system has evolved from its legacy Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR)-based system, and the railroad utilizes a variety of wayside railroad signals including position light, color light and dwarf signals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, much of the LIRR is equipped with a bi-directional Pulse code cab signaling called automatic speed control (ASC), though portions of the railway still retain single direction, wayside-only signaling. Unlike other railroads, which began using color-light signals in the 20th century, the LIRR did not begin using signals with color lights on its above ground sections until 2006.Template:Citation needed

Some portions of the railway lack automatic signals and cab signals completely, instead train and track car movements are governed only by timetable and verbal/written train orders, although these areas are gradually receiving modern signals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many other signals and switching systems on the LIRR are being modernized and upgraded as part of the Main Line's Third Track Project, most notably at Mineola, where the system is being completely redone and modernized.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:LIRR Kawasaki M9 EMU - Jamaica NY.jpg
A Long Island Rail Road M9, showing the dual-type contact shoe.

On portions of the railroad equipped with ASC, engineers consult the speed display unit, which is capable of displaying seven speed indications. As a result of a December 1, 2013, train derailment in the Bronx on the Metro-North Railroad, railroads with similar cab signal systems to Metro-North, such as the LIRR, were ordered to modify the systems to enforce certain speed limit changes, which has resulted in lower average speeds and actual speed limits across the LIRR.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Power transmissionEdit

The LIRR's electrified lines are powered via a third rail at 750 volts DC.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Rolling stockEdit

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File:MTA LIRR train leaving Woodside.jpg
M9 railcars leaving Woodside

Electric fleetEdit

The LIRR's electric fleet consists of 836 M7 and 170 M3 electric multiple unit cars in married pairs, meaning each car needs the other one to operate, with each car containing its own engineer's cab. The trainsets typically range from 6 to 12 cars long.

In September 2013, MTA announced that the LIRR would procure new M9 railcars from Kawasaki.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A 2014 MTA forecast indicated that the LIRR would need 416 M9 railcars; 180 to replace the outdated M3 railcars and an additional 236 railcars for the additional passengers expected once the East Side Access project is complete.<ref name="CPOC Jul 2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first M9s entered revenue service on September 11, 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

File:LIRR bi-level coaches.jpg
C3 bi-level coaches at a grade crossing in Bethpage

Diesel and dual-mode fleetsEdit

The LIRR also uses 134 C3 bilevel coaches powered by 24 DE30AC diesel-electric locomotives and 20 DM30AC dual-mode locomotives. They are used mostly on non-electrified branches, including the Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay, Montauk, Central, and Greenport Branches. There are also 23 MP15AC locomotives in use as work trains and yard switchers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Named trainsEdit

For most of its history LIRR has served commuters, but it had many named trains, some with all-first class seating, parlor cars, and full bar service. Few of them lasted past World War II, but some names were revived during the 1950s and 1960s, as the railroad expanded its east end parlor car service with luxury coaches and Pullman cars from railroads that were discontinuing their passenger trains.

CurrentEdit

  • Cannonball, a Friday-only 12-car train to Montauk running May through October, with two all-reserved parlor cars with full bar service. Since May 24, 2013, it has originated at Penn Station with a Sunday evening return from Montauk; only the westward train stops at Jamaica.<ref name="cannonball-new">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> The name is a nod to the Cannon Ball, the all-year train to Montauk that had operated since 1899. It carried parlor cars and standard-fare coaches and ran weekday afternoons from Long Island City, then from Penn Station until 1951, when DD1 operation, and changing engines at Jamaica, ceased.<ref name="trainsarefun.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

FormerEdit

  • Fisherman's Special (1932–1950s) from Long Island City to Canoe Place Station and Montauk via Jamaica, April through October, terminating at Canoe Place in April, extended to Montauk in May. Served Long Island's fishing trade.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Peconic Bay Express / Shinnecock Bay Express (1926–1950) from Long Island City to Greenport and Montauk, Saturday only, express to Greenport and Montauk. Discontinued during World War II though revived for a few seasons afterwards.<ref name="trainsarefun.com"/>
  • Shelter Island Express (1901–1903, 1923–1942) from Long Island City to Greenport, Friday-only summer express that connected to Shelter Island ferries.
  • Sunrise Special (1922–1942) ran during the summer, NY Penn to Montauk on Fridays and westbound Mondays. In summer 1926 it ran daily. All parlor car (no coaches) from 1932 to 1937.<ref name="arrts-arrchives.com"/><ref name="arrts-arrchives1927"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>LIRR Named Passenger Trains (Pennsylvania Technical and Historical Society) Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Freight serviceEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:For

File:New York and Atlantic Train at Jamaica LIRR station 1.jpg
A NYAR freight train at Jamaica station

The LIRR and other railroads that became part of the system have always had freight service, though this has diminished. The process of shedding freight service accelerated with the acquisition of the railroad by New York State.Template:Citation needed In the 21st century, there has been some appreciation of the need for better railroad freight service in New York City and on Long Island.<ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both areas are primarily served by trucking for freight haulage, an irony in a region with the most extensive rail transit service in the Americas, as well as the worst traffic conditions.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Proposals for a Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel for freight have existed for years to alleviate these issues, and, in recent years, there have been many new pushes for its construction by officials.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Financial issues, as well as bureaucracy, remain major hurdles in constructing it.<ref name=":7" /> In May 1997, freight service was franchised on a 20-year term to the New York and Atlantic Railway (NYAR), a short line railroad owned by the Anacostia and Pacific Company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

It has its own equipment and crews, but uses the rail facilities of the LIRR. To the east, freight service operates to the end of the West Hempstead Branch, to Huntington on the Port Jefferson Branch, to Bridgehampton on the Montauk Branch, and to Riverhead on the Main Line. On the western end it provides service on the surviving freight-only tracks of the LIRR: the Bay Ridge and Bushwick branches; the "Lower Montauk" between Jamaica and Long Island City; and to an interchange connection at Fresh Pond Junction in Queens with the CSX, Canadian Pacific, and Providence and Worcester railroads.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Freight branchesEdit

File:SotyBrooklynRailway0918.jpg
The freight-only Bay Ridge Branch through Brooklyn

Some non-electrified lines are used only for freight:

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> The entire line was electrified with overhead wire in 1927,<ref name="PRRC 1927">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Small, July 2004 Edition</ref> and the overhead wires were dismantled in 1969.<ref name="Cross Harbor EIS 2004 p. 128-IA239"/>Template:Rp

Planned service expansionsEdit

Electrification projectsEdit

File:DE30 408 West Babylon DSC 0384.JPG
A diesel train running along the Central Branch in 2012

As part of the 2020–2024 MTA Capital Program, the MTA proposed electrifying the LIRR's Central Branch, which would for enhanced service options and capacity, and to mitigate service disruptions, should one arise. Although funding was initially allocated through the 2020–2024 MTA Capital Program, the project was ultimately put on hold.<ref name=":2" />

There have also been many pushes by residents and politicians over the past several decades – most recently by former New York State Senator Jim Gaughran – to electrify the remainder of the Port Jefferson Branch between the Huntington and Port Jefferson stations, in addition to the remainder of the Oyster Bay Branch between the East Williston and Oyster Bay, to enhance service in the served areas and to upgrade service capacities along the lines; electrifying these lines could lead to more frequent direct service to and from Manhattan, as diesel trains are not allowed in Penn Station and dual-mode trains exceed the height clearance for the 63rd Street Tunnel into Grand Central Madison.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Law enforcementEdit

File:MTA Police Baby Delivery (9464418211).jpg
Two officers for the MTA Police in Penn Station

The Long Island Rail Road Police Department, founded in 1868,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was absorbed along with the Metro-North Railroad Police Department to form the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTA Police) in 1998.

Criticism and controversyEdit

Passenger issuesEdit

The LIRR has a long history of tense relations with its passengers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Daily commuters have long had complaints about the LIRR's service. According to a 1999 article in The New York Times, the LIRR's service woes were long considered part of the "unholy trinity of life on Long Island," along with the Long Island Lighting Company's high rates and the Long Island Expressway's traffic snarls.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Various commuter advocacy groups have been formed to try to represent those interests, in addition to the state mandated LIRR Commuters Council.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The LIRR has been criticized for not providing additional service to the East End of Long Island as the twin forks continue to grow in popularity as a year-round tourist and residential destination. Demand is evidenced by flourishing for-profit bus services such as the Hampton Jitney and the Hampton Luxury Liner and the early formative stages of a new East End Transportation Authority.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Local politicians have joined the public outcry for the LIRR to either improve the frequency of east end services, or turn the operation over to a local transportation authority.

Critics claim that the on-time performance (OTP) calculated by the LIRR is manipulated to be artificially high. Because the LIRR does not release any raw timing data nor does it have independent (non-MTA) audits it is impossible to verify this claim, or the accuracy of the current On Time Performance measurement. The percentage measure is used by many other US passenger railroads but the criticism over accuracy is specific to the LIRR. As defined by the LIRR, a train is "on time" if it arrives at a station within 5 minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled time.<ref>LIRR, – LIRR OTP Template:Webarchive</ref> The criterion was 4 minutes and 59 seconds until the LIRR changed it because of a bug in their computer systems.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Critics<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> believe the OTP measure does not reflect what commuters experience on a daily basis. The LIRR publishes the current OTP in a monthly booklet called TrainTalk.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> TrainTalk was previously known as "Keeping Track."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A more accurate way to measure delays and OTP has been proposed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Called the "Passenger Hours Delayed" index it can measure total person-hours of a specific delay. This would be useful in comparing performance of specific days or incidents, day-to-day (or week-to-week) periods, but has not been adopted.

Ridership has increased from 81 million passengers in 2011 to 89.3 million passengers in 2016, which is the railroad's highest ridership since 1949. The all-time highest ridership was in 1929, when 119 million passengers rode 1.89 billion passenger miles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This increase in ridership has been attributed to the increased usage of the LIRR by millennials, and the increase of reverse-peak travel.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Pension and disability fraud scandalEdit

A New York Times investigation in 2008 showed that 25% of LIRR employees who had retired since 2000 filed for disability payments from the federal Railroad Retirement Board and 97% of them were approved to receive disability pension. The total collected was more than $250,000,000 over eight years.<ref name="nyt"/> As a result, Railroad Retirement agents from Chicago inspected the Long Island office of the Railroad Retirement Board on September 23, 2008. New York Governor David Paterson issued a statement calling for Congress to conduct a full review of the board's mission and daily activities. Officials at the board's headquarters responded to the investigation stating that all occupational disability annuities were issued in accordance with applicable laws.<ref name="nyt">Template:Cite news</ref>

On November 17, 2008, a former LIRR pension manager was arrested and charged with official misconduct for performing outside work without permission. However, these charges were all dismissed for "no merit" by Supreme Court Judge Kase on December 11, 2009, on the grounds that the prosecution had misled the grand jury in the indictment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

A report produced in September 2009 by the Government Accountability Office stated that the rate at which retirees were rewarded disability claims was above the norm for the industry in general and indicated "troubling" practices that may indicate fraud, such as the use of a very small group of physicians in making diagnoses.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Another series of arrests on October 27, 2011, included two doctors and a former union official.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

According to court documents, from 1998 through 2011, 79% of LIRR retirees obtained federal disability when they retired. On August 6, 2013, a doctor and two consultants were found guilty in connection with the accusations and sentenced to prison.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Overtime fraud scandalsEdit

In 2018, LIRR foreman Raymond Murphy was discovered at or near his home on 10 separate occasions whilst claiming overtime pay. Murphy earned $405,021 in 2017, of which $295,490 was overtime. According to reports, he was allowed to retire with a full public pension before being reprimanded or punished.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2021, LIRR employee and track inspector Thomas Caputo and co-conspirators John Nugent and Joseph Balestra were federally convicted for large-scale overtime fraud.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Caputo was paid approximately $461,000 in 2018, of which $344,000 was supposed overtime. He claimed to have worked 3,864 overtime hours, an average of more than 10 hours of overtime for all 365 days the year. Phone, bank, email, and other records revealed many of these hours were fraudulent: Caputo was clocked in during vacation and while attending outside social events such as a bowling league.

Accidents and incidentsEdit

  • On August 26, 1893, two trains collided in Maspeth, Queens, killing 16 people and injuring over 40.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • On August 13, 1926, the Shelter Island Express derailed on a switch in Calverton, Suffolk County, and crashed into the Golden Pickle Works factory. The crash claimed six lives and injured 15. <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • On August 3, 1946, a head-on train crash occurred at the Port Washington station in Port Washington. The collision resulted in two deaths and 27 injuries.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • On February 17, 1950, two trains collided head-on after an engineer on train 192 ignored an approach signal and the following red signals at Rockville Centre station, leaving 32 dead and more than 100 injured. At the time, it was the worst rail disaster in LIRR history.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • On November 22, 1950, two trains collided after one of the trains passed a red signal in Kew Gardens, killing 78 and injuring 363 in the worst rail disaster in LIRR history.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • On March 14, 1982, a train hit a van at a level crossing on Herricks Road in Mineola after the driver of the van went around the gate. Nine people were killed and one was injured.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • On December 7, 1993, a mass shooting occurred onboard a train at Merillon Avenue station in Garden City Park. Six people were killed and nineteen others were wounded.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • On October 23, 2000, the lead locomotive (DM30AC #503) of a dual-mode commuter train caught fire west of Huntington station.<ref name="UN-newsday-1024">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="UN-newsday-1025">Template:Cite news</ref> The fire was blamed on a defective shoe beam that caused a 750-volt short circuit with the locomotive's third rail contact shoe.<ref name="UN-newsday-1026">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="UN-NYT-0107">Template:Cite news</ref> The train was evacuated and nobody was injured, though locomotive #503 was irreparably damaged. This incident was the most severe out of several electrical fires involving the then-new DM30AC locomotives, which prompted a full-scale investigation into their reliability and safety.<ref name="UN-newsday-1026" /><ref name="UN-NYT-0107" /> The entire fleet—two locomotives at a time—would be sent to General Motors for repairs beginning in fall 2001.<ref name="UN-newsday-0621">Template:Cite news</ref>
  • On May 17, 2011, a commuter train in Deer Park obliterated a baked goods truck that attempted to drive around the crossing gate. The truck driver was killed and two train passengers were injured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • On October 8, 2016, a commuter LIRR train side-swiped a maintenance train east of New Hyde Park station. The commuter train cars suffered damage and 33 passengers were injured, four of them seriously injured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • On January 4, 2017, a Long Island Rail Road commuter train derailed at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. At least 103 people were injured.<ref name="newsday20170104">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • On February 26, 2019, two separate Long Island Rail Road trains hit a pickup truck at the School Street railroad crossing in Westbury on the LIRR Main Line, causing the driver and two passengers to be ejected from the vehicle resulting in their deaths, numerous injuries, and damage to the nearby LIRR station platform.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • On May 25, 2019, a commuter train sideswiped a non-revenue train at the siding east of Speonk station and derailed. The non-revenue train was 14 cars long, whereas the siding could only fit 13 cars.<ref name="SK-newsday-1030">Template:Cite news</ref> Nobody was injured, though it took two days to restore normal service,<ref name="SK-PIX-0527">Template:Cite news</ref> and the derailed train's front locomotive (DM30AC #511) was damaged beyond repair. The incident was blamed on a track circuit failure;<ref name="SK-newsday-1030" /> an MTA worker, who resigned following the accident, was later charged and indicted for falsifying an inspection report of the would-be point of failure.<ref name="SK-feds">Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name="SK-patch">Template:Cite news</ref>
  • On August 3, 2023, a Long Island Rail Road commuter train derailed east of Jamaica station; 13 people were injured.<ref name="ABC7 New York 2023 a245">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • On April 17, 2025, a Long Island Rail Road commuter train collided with a vehicle west of Pinelawn station. The driver of the car was killed and the first car of the train was damaged.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See alsoEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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