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| LIRR fare hikes looming | |
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| Topic Started: March 29 2009, 11:41 AM (95 Views) | |
| Gandalf | March 29 2009, 11:41 AM Post #1 |
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Head Moderator, Computer Tech
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NEW YORK - The MTA's "doomsday" budget is an especially grim portent for Long Island commuters, who may see monthly tickets on the Long Island Rail Road go up an average of $55 and Long Island Bus fares skyrocket a staggering 75 percent just over two months from now, Newsday reports. On top of the financial pain, Long Islanders also will be forced to pay more for less on trains and buses, as both agencies make dramatic service cuts. LIRR President Helena Williams said yesterday she fears the combination of forces could all contribute to the start of an "exodus" off Long Island by some transit users. Joe Smith, president of Long Island Bus, also spoke of the possibility of losing riders if bus fares rise from $2 to $3.50 on May 31. "We've been building the system up and encouraging ridership, and now we're going to turn around and cut service," Smith said. "When you cut service and raise the fares, realistically, riders will find other ways of getting to their destination." On the LIRR - the largest commuter railroad in North America, with an average weekday ridership of about 300,000 - fare increases will range from 24 percent to 29 percent. That translates to a $36 increase in a monthly ticket for people using the LIRR's westernmost stations, all the way up to $96 for those traveling into Manhattan or Brooklyn from eastern Long Island. The average 25.6 percent fare increase for the LIRR is not unprecedented. When railroad fares were raised in 2003 and in 1981, the average increase both times was 25 percent. The fare hikes are take effect June 1, and Williams said the LIRR has to begin implementing hikes over the next several weeks. Some commuters who buy monthly tickets in advance via the Internet could pay the new prices as early as next month. Williams said state lawmakers have "a very small window" to reach agreement on legislation that could prevent the hikes, and the longer they wait, the more costly it will be to roll back the increases. That expense would be passed on to riders, MTA officials said. Under the cuts approved yesterday, the LIRR also will cancel and combine a number of trains, including eliminating weekend service on the West Hempstead branch, eliminating service to Belmont Park racetrack except on the day of the Belmont Stakes, and going from half-hourly to hourly service in the afternoon at Port Washington - one of the agency's most heavily used stations. "That's degradation in service, and customers will feel it," Williams said. Those changes won't come until September, but other reductions in service could be apparent much earlier. They include the closing of 20 ticket offices, extended maintenance cycles on trains, and scaled-back hedge-trimming, graffiti removal and cleaning efforts. The changes come just months after a record year for ridership on the LIRR, which celebrates its 175th anniversary next month. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, in response to the MTA board's action, said, "These increases are a major burden to our hardworking commuters, who are finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet. Fee increases of this magnitude discourage mass transit use at a time we need it most." Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi did not respond to a call for comment. (This item appeared March 26, 2009, in Newsday.) March 26, 2009 |
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| Lirr172 | March 29 2009, 11:42 AM Post #2 |
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New York & Atlantic Railway
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Lucky me.
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