Good Morning!
From the President
Dear LIRR Customers:
As the new President of the Long Island
Rail Road, I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself and to inform you
of my goals for the LIRR. I was appointed by MTA Executive Director Elliot
Sander on June 18, 2007, and I am honored to lead this organization and the
outstanding employees at the LIRR as we provide daily rail transportation
to over 282,000 customers with a fleet of 1,140 passenger cars over 701 miles
of track.
My priorities are Customer Safety, Security and Service Reliability.
In addition, I will focus on ways to improve train service and customer communications.
But I need your help. In order to improve your LIRR ride, I would like to
hear from our customers directly. I'm sure you may have ideas that could
make the Railroad better. If you have a suggestion how to improve your LIRR
experience, please drop me an email. At mta.info, select the following links:
FAQs/Contact Us --> E-mail --> MTA
Services --> LIRR-Talk
to the President.
This is an exciting time for me at the Long Island Rail
Road. Summer service is underway. Many customers are taking advantage of
our Getaways, Beach Packages and Shea Stadium service. At the Railroad, we
are looking forward to construction starting on an essential train connection
to Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street. When completed in 2013 we will
be able to offer direct service to the East Side of Manhattan via this historic
train terminal. One of my goals this summer is to visit communities and rail
stations throughout Long Island and hear the opinions and concerns of customers,
local officials and community groups. I will share the results of those discussions
with you.
The LIRR is a vital transportation life line for Long Island
and the New York region. I look forward to working every day to improve your
experience on the LIRR. Thank you for using our service, and my personal
thanks to Ray Kenny for his leadership as Acting President prior to my appointment.
See you on board.
Sincerely,
Helena E. Williams
President
Safety
In an effort to reach all of our customers with a Gap Safety message, the
Railroad has designed and distributed an educational brochure in ten languages.
The message is the same ... watch your step when entering and/or exiting
your train, and pay special attention to the gap between the train door
and the station platform; hold the hand of any young child when entering
or exiting the train; and always keep a safe distance from the edge of
the platform.
The brochure is in Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, French, Chinese,
Russian, Korean, Hebrew, and of course, English ... and is available at
stations all around the system. The advice is excellent, no matter how
you say it. Please take care of yourselves and those who are traveling with
you.
Independence Day Eve - Early Getaway Trains
This year the Railroad
will be providing extra getaway service on the afternoon of July 3rd in
order to help our customers get started on their Independence Day holiday.
The added getaway service will consist of eight extra holiday eve trains,
including three trains on the
Babylon Branch (2:22 PM, 2:58 PM and 3:31 PM);
three trains on the Port Jefferson Branch (2:09 PM, 2:25 PM and 3:24 PM);
one train on the Port Washington Branch (3:40 PM); and one train on the
Far Rockaway Branch (3:48 PM). Please check your schedule for details.
We will also be providing an additional express train from Penn Station
to Jamaica at 3:58 PM that will allow customers to connect with the Cannonball.
Did You Know?
... that certain types of tickets are now easier to find on our ticket machine
screens? Some customers had indicated that they were unaware of the Railroad's
10-Trip ticket ... so we moved that
button to the first screen of our ticket
machines, in the upper-right quadrant, where it can be seen and accessed
more easily. The 10-Trip ticket provides ten rides to and from City Zone
1 only. They are valid for one year from date of sale, and can be used by more
than one person even when traveling in a group. These tickets can be
purchased
for Peak and Off-Peak travel, as well as for travel by customers who are
Seniors or People with Disabilities. While reviewing the locations of our
various ticket types, we realized that we could help our CityTicket customers
if we relocated our CityTicket option to the first screen as well. You'll
find it listed there now ... but only on weekends, and only at stations where
the CityTicket is valid.
CityTicket is a $3.00 fare for travel within New York City on LIRR
trains on Saturdays/Sundays. It is not valid at Shea Stadium, Belmont or
Far Rockaway. The ticket is only valid on the day of purchase and cannot
be combined with other tickets. It must be purchased at ticket windows or
ticket machines located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens; it is not available
for purchase on board trains.
Mail&Ride Sweepstakes
It's here ... the Mail&Ride Sweepstakes has begun, and the first
of the winners will be chosen on the 20th of July. If you sign up for Mail&Ride,
each and every month, you will automatically be entered in the FREE Monthly
Ticket Sweepstakes ... with four winners receiving a free monthly ticket.
Mail&Ride,
where over 40,000 happy (and savvy) customers get their LIRR tickets without
the hassle ... at a discount! ... and might even win a free monthly ticket!!
For complete details visit Mail&Ride
Sweepstakes.
Origin and Destination Report
Recently
we completed the initial analysis of our Origin and Destination (O&D)
Study. The study's fieldwork was conducted during the spring of 2006, and
involved the counting of passengers - both boardings and arrival - at every
LIRR station. The survey questionnaire was also distributed to a random
sampling of customers at every LIRR station as part of the study. The information
gleaned from these self-completed surveys provided the LIRR with station-to-station
travel patterns by market segment as well as travel modes used at origin
and destination stations. Counts were essentially taken during all day parts
with the exception of the overnight period. The data collected in the study
provided us with station-specific ridership information - a valuable planning
tool. The focus of the study was to count customers who were traveling during
all weekday and weekend travel times (AM Peak, AM Reverse Peak, Midday Off-Peak
East/Westbound, PM Peak, PM Reverse Peak, Saturday East/Westbound and Sunday
East/Westbound).
In comparing this data to our previous
O&D study (1998), total daily
ridership has increased by 7.8% from 267,182 customers in 1998 to 288,078
in 2006. Other key findings from the study include: Westbound
midday (weekday) off-peak ridership increased 72% (14,157 customers) - representing the
LIRR's fastest growing market segment.
Total morning reverse-peak ridership increased 76% to 12,917 riders in 2006 (based on arrivals at destination stations)
compared with 7,350 customers in 1998. Our Main Line Corridor Improvement
Project - with the planned addition of a third track between Floral Park
and Hicksville - is designed, in part, to meet the steadily growing demands
of this reverse-peak ridership.
All diesel territory branches during the morning
peak saw ridership increase, representing a reversal from the 1998 O&D
study findings. This shift is closely tied to the replacement of the LIRR's
diesel fleet with modern, comfortable bi-level coaches.
As in the 1998 study,
Penn Station and Manhattan remain your major westbound AM peak destination
station and final location, at 78% and 79% respectively.
Beach Packages
The Memorial Day Weekend marked the start of the LIRR's season of summer
discounted beach package tickets to Jones Beach, Long Beach and Fire Island.
Special tickets are available for daily service for the rest of the summer.
From one of the nation's biggest, best and most famous beaches ... Jones
Beach ... to Ocean Beach Park, one of the most relaxed of Fire Island's
communities ... our Beach Packages are sure to appeal to beach lovers of
all kinds.
Get all the details by visiting our website ... you'll be glad you did.
Curtains
David Hyde Pierce, winner of the 2007 Tony for Leading Actor in a Musical,
stars in this backstage musical murder-mystery by the incomparable Kander
and Ebb. Mention code CULIRR at the time of purchase to get one free LIRR
round-trip ticket and discount prices of $78.50 orchestra and $59.50 mezzanine
(regularly $111.50).
Valid Tuesdays at 7 PM; Wednesdays - Fridays at 8
PM; Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 PM; Sundays at 3 PM plus special added
Holiday performance Friday, July 6 at 2 PM. All prices include a $1.50
facility fee. Online visit BroadwayOffers and
enter code CULIRR or call Telecharge at 212-947-8844 and mention code CULIRR
or print the on-line offer and bring it to the Al Hirschfield Theatre Box
Office.
Summer
is officially underway ... and "summer travelers" have arrived too ...
along with their bags n hats n bikes n coolers ... oh my! Unfortunately,
these happy flip flop-wearing travelers try to use the seats for their
luggage ... they have lots of luggage ... and that is a definite no-no.
So, if you happen
to know a weekend luggage-lugger, we hope you'll ask them to do the right
thing ... i.e. ... store their 'extra' items under the seat in front of
them, in the overhead rack, or in the luggage storage areas available at
the ends of some cars. Summer seats, especially those to holiday destinations,
are far too precious for cargo.
On-Time Monthly Performance
| BRANCH | AM Peak |
PM Peak |
Off- Peak |
Total May 2007 |
Total May 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon | 98.2 | 89.4 | 94.5 | 94.4 | 94.3 |
| Far Rockaway | 98.4 | 90.9 | 98.0 | 97.3 | 97.0 |
| Hicksville/Huntington | 95.5 | 88.6 | 94.8 | 94.1 | 95.6 |
| Hempstead | 100.0 | 90.4 | 97.5 | 97.0 | 96.0 |
| Long Beach | 98.5 | 88.0 | 96.2 | 95.4 | 96.5 |
| Montauk | 91.5 | 88.3 | 95.7 | 94.3 | 91.8 |
| Oyster Bay | 94.8 | 84.1 | 93.6 | 92.4 | 96.1 |
| Port Jefferson | 94.9 | 87.0 | 94.5 | 93.5 | 94.1 |
| Port Washington | 99.2 | 87.0 | 94.5 | 93.5 | 94.1 |
| Greenport/Ronkonkoma | 92.9 | 89.6 | 92.1 | 91.9 | 93.0 |
| West Hempstead | 100.0 | 88.6 | 97.4 | 96.4 | 97.1 |
| TOTAL | 96.9 | 88.9 | 94.9 | 94.1 | 95.1 |
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