Meeting Between MTA and LIRR Workers Yields Nothing but More Bad Feelings,...
An MTA-scheduled meeting that the LIRR unions had threatened to boycott did indeed happen Friday — but without any resolution to the ongoing contract dispute.Anthony Simon, the lead negotiator for the...
View ArticleFederal Mediators Now Trying to Avert LIRR Strike
The National Mediation Board said Wednesday it will hold talks between the MTA and a coalition of unions representing Long Island Rail Road workers. According to a press release from the MTA, the talks...
View ArticleCuomo Says He Has No Control Over Possible LIRR Strike
A day before federal mediators will sit down to try to resolve a longstanding dispute between Long Island Rail Road workers and the MTA, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that if a strike does occur,...
View ArticleNo Deal Yet Between MTA and LIRR Workers
Federal mediators failed to produce a deal between the MTA and Long Island Rail Road workers.Soon after the talks ended Tuesday afternoon, the MTA released a statement calling the talks "unsuccessful"...
View ArticleIf LIRR Workers Strike, Don't Look to Congress to Settle It
Get back to the table and stay there until you get a deal.That was the message Wednesday from New York's Congressional delegation, which met with MTA chief Tom Prendergast in Washington, D.C.Members...
View ArticleWith Rail Strike Looming, It's 1994 All Over Again
A World Cup tournament...a Cuomo up for re-election as governor...and the looming threat of a Long Island Rail Road strike. Sound familiar? That's what was also happening 20 years ago — the last time...
View ArticleLong Island Telecommuters, Start Your Engines
In the event of a Long Island Rail Road strike, Nassau County commuters looking to work from home have an option beyond their kitchen tables or local coffee shops.Nassau County executive Ed Mangano...
View ArticleMTA: "We're Ready" to Face a LIRR Strike
Shuttle buses, park and rides, and new ferry service will be put into place if Long Island Rail Road workers walk off the job on July 20 — the earliest date workers can legally strike.But MTA officials...
View ArticleTalks Collapse Between MTA and Long Island Rail Road Workers
Talks broke down Monday afternoon between the MTA and an eight-union coalition representing Long Island Rail Road workers.Union chief Anthony Simon said he's preparing for a strike that could come as...
View ArticleAs LIRR Walkout Looms, Cuomo Urges Patience
As commuters began bracing for an increasingly likely Long Island Rail Road strike this weekend, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sought to downplay its potential effect."My advice is what every New Yorker...
View ArticleRail Strike Could Cost Economy $50 Million a Day
Businesses across New York City and Long Island are preparing for a potential LIRR strike that could prevent 300,000 people a day from riding the rails into the city and in Nassau and Suffolk...
View ArticleMTA, LIRR Unions Back at Bargaining Table
Following a call from the governor, the MTA and unions representing Long Island Rail Road workers resumed negotiations Wednesday afternoon."I asked this morning that both sides go back to the table,"...
View ArticleQueens Commuters Bracing for LIRR Strike, Too
It’s not just Nassau County residents who would be hit by a Long Island Rail Road strike. Queens commuters can expect crowded buses, extra wait times and even lines at the subway, according to the...
View ArticleMTA and LIRR Unions Trade Verbal Swipes
With the strike clock ticking, the MTA and Long Island Railroad union representatives are intensifying their rhetoric. The two sides resumed bargaining on Wednesday at the urging of Gov. Andrew Cuomo,...
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Strike Averted: MTA, LIRR Agree to Tentative Deal
Flanked by labor leaders and transit officials, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that a four-year long contract dispute had finally come to an end.The deal between Long Island Rail...
View ArticleLIRR Deal Reflects National Trends on Health Care
A deal on a new contract for Long Island Rail Road workers includes 17 percent raises over six and a half years. But employees have made some concessions, including paying a portion of their health...
View ArticleDetails Emerge of Long Island Rail Road Contract
When Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the deal between the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Long Island Rail Road workers earlier this month, specific details were not disclosed because the unions...
View ArticleLIRR Disability Fraud Could Happen Again, Says GAO Report
Six years after an investigation revealed rampant federal disability fraud among retired Long Island Rail Road employees, a government report says there still are not enough safeguards in place to...
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Repairing Sandy Damaged Rail Tunnels Could Snarl Commute for Years
Almost two years ago, Sandy flooded four of Amtrak's six tunnels in and out of Manhattan with 13 million gallons of sea water. While the agency flushed the tunnels out in the days following the storm,...
View ArticleLIRR Train Hits SUV in Crossing
For the second time in a month, an MTA train has hit an SUV at a road crossing.This time, it happened on Long Island and no one was killed. An eyewitness told MTA investigators that the elderly woman...
View ArticleBridge Demolition to Disrupt LIRR Service This Weekend
The roadbed of the 74-year-old Ellison Avenue Bridge is so bad, it's a patchwork of potholes and steel plates.So the MTA is taking the whole thing down — and suspending all LIRR service between...
View ArticleLIRR Also a Winner at the Belmont Stakes
American Pharoah wasn't the only winner Saturday evening. The race was also a major test for two New York institutions, and both are likely finishing their weekend feeling victorious.The Long Island...
View ArticleMorning Delays on LIRR Following Freight Derailment
Long Island Rail Road says riders should expect delays and cancellations during their morning commute following a freight train derailment west of Hicksville.The agency says crews are continuing to...
View ArticleCuomo Renews Bet on Third Track to Ease LIRR Woes
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday gave New Yorkers a sneak preview of a piece of his upcoming State of the State address: a plan to boost Long Island's economy by adding capacity on the Long Island Rail...
View ArticleCuomo's Vision for Penn Station: Goodbye, MSG Theater; Hello, Empire Station...
Referencing the nation's founding fathers, as well as the creation of the Erie Canal, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday the time has come to think big and take on one of the most hated structures in the...
View ArticleLIRR Raises Hopes — Only to Leave Them on Crowded Platforms
Early Monday morning, thousands of Long Island Rail Road commuters showed up at their train platforms expecting a normal day. But instead they were greeted with crowds, chaos, and a general lack of...
View ArticleLIRR's Snowstorm Postmortem: We Need Better Technology — And Communication...
Following the Jan. 23 blizzard — which caused a shutdown of the LIRR, followed by a bumpy resumption of service that confused and infuriated riders — the MTA promised to take a hard look at what...
View ArticleA Tale of Two Looming Transit Strikes
Five days before NJ Transit rail workers could go out on strike, Gov. Chris Christie left the state to vacation with his wife to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary."It's not the job of the...
View ArticleNormal LIRR Service Expected for Morning Commute
The Long Island Rail Road expects normal service for the morning commute following massive delays and cancellations caused by signal trouble a day earlier.The agency says Amtrak has completed repairs...
View ArticleMTA: Work Car Derailment Snarls Morning Commute on LIRR
Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials say Long Island Railroad customers can expect delays during the morning rush hour as some westbound trains are cancelled or being diverted because of a...
View ArticleSurprise! MTA on the Hook for More Penn Station Money
When Gov. Andrew Cuomo released further details of his plans to revamp Penn Station and transform the post office building across the street into a grand train hall, two points caught some transit...
View ArticleLIRR Service Disruptions Persist After Saturday Derailment
It could be a rough commute for Long Islanders.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he's hopeful workers can clear one of two tracks on the Long Island Rail Road's main line for the Monday morning commute....
View ArticleBroken Rail Causing Commute Headaches in and out of Penn Station
A broken rail in one of the East River tunnels is causing delays and cancellations on Amtrak, NJ Transit and LIRR trains in and out of Penn Station during Wednesday morning's commute.NJ Transit says...
View ArticleLIRR Crash at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn Injures Over 100
The FDNY says 103 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries when a Long Island Railroad train derailed as it arrived at the Atlantic Terminal station in Brooklyn Wednesday morning.Passengers told...
View ArticleService Restored, Major Delays Expected on LIRR
Limited westbound service is restored on the Long Island Railroad after a stalled equipment train caused service to be suspended in both directions.The MTA says commuters can expected delays and...
View ArticleGovernor Cuomo Asks President Trump For Help With 'Deplorable' Penn Station
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is asking President Trump for federal help with Penn Station, saying the "impact of its state of disrepair" is at "a tipping point."In his letter Sunday to the president,...
View ArticleThe MTA Wants to Increase Capital Spending, by Borrowing More
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board of directors Wednesday voted to increase spending in its 2015-2019 capital plan by $5 billion, right as the quality of its service is coming...
View ArticleThree of Penn Station's 21 Tracks to be Closed this Summer
Officials allowed reporters onto Penn Station tracks for the first time Thursday to look at the repairs that need to be made to reduce future derailments and other delays.“We will be taking out ties,"...
View ArticlePenn Station
Penn Station's current problems now have a name: "Summer of Hell." But Penn has a long history of even more serious disasters, including its destruction and re-creation before there was a Landmark's...
View ArticleThe MTA's New Chairman Knows the Job — He's Already Held It
Now that Gov. Cuomo has tapped former MTA chairman, Joe Lhota, to lead the agency again. He's known for getting the subway system on its feet again after the devastation of storm Sandy.And then there...
View ArticleHell Is Other Transit Systems: Takeaways from Week 1 of We the Commuters
If you're reading this, congratulations! You're a mere evening commute away from completing week one of the promised nightmare of the Penn Station track work.Except, has it actually been that bad? As a...
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Poetry Challenge: An Ode to Your Commute
"Oh where, oh where is my F train?"In honor of National Poetry Month, WNYC is inviting listeners to take part in a weekly poetry challenge. Week One's assignment: write an original poem about your...
View ArticleLIRR President Resigning After Streak of Poor Train Performance
Long Island Rail Road President Patrick Nowakowski is resigning.Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota released a statement Wednesday night thanking Nowakowski for his four years...
View ArticleLong Island Railroad Cleaner's Biggest Worry is Still Bringing Coronavirus Home
More than 40 MTA workers have died after contracting COVID-19, and more than a thousand are quarantined in their homes. But trains and buses are still running and must be disinfected. That's where...
View ArticleWhat survivors of a train shooting 30 years ago can teach the people of...
Terry Sullivan remembers how hard it was to get back on the Long Island Rail Road in the weeks after a gunman opened fire in his train in 1993.“The toughest part was feeling the train slow down because...
View ArticleThe LIRR's Big Miscalculation
Since the Long Island Railroad introduced new schedules last month to coincide with full service to Grand Central Madison, commuters have been complaining of packed trains and chaotic transfers at...
View ArticleMonday Morning Politics; The LIRR's Big Miscalculation; How to Learn 'New...
Coming up on today's show:Molly Ball, national political correspondent for TIME and the author of Pelosi (Henry Holt and Co., 2020), talks about the banking backstop, Pres. Biden's budget proposals,...
View ArticlePop Quiz: Riding the Rails
Listeners try their hand at questions about New York City subway and commuter train lines and stations.
View ArticleAugust 9, 2024: Morning Headlines
Get up and get informed! Here’s all the local news you need to start your day: Dozens of people convicted of drug possession, trespassing, and other misdemeanors are having those charges cleared after...
View ArticleCrowdsourcing Local Day Trip Getaways
With nicer weather continuing to develop, and the school year approaching its end, many people will be looking for day trips getaways in our area. WNYC and Gothamist transportation reporter Stephen...
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