Commuters at Atlantic Terminal slam LIRR schedule rewrite amid delays, overcrowding

Commuters told News 12 that they were waiting for long periods of time for their trains and had to deal with overcrowding.

News 12 Staff

Feb 28, 2023, 10:51 PM

Updated 514 days ago

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Frustrations continued Tuesday for commuters at Atlantic Terminal – one day after the Long Island Rail Road introduced full service to Grand Central Madison.
Commuters told News 12 that they were waiting for long periods of time for their trains and had to deal with overcrowding.
News 12 received a video from a rider this morning of a crowded platform at Jamaica Station. She says all the passengers there were forced to cram onto a train that was late and had only six cars.
Another viewer sent a photo of just three commuters on board a peak express train from Jamaica to Grand Central this morning.
The confusion stems from all branches of the LIRR now making stops at Grand Central Madison – which requires hundreds of additional trains to head east. That means many direct trains between Long Island and Brooklyn no longer run.
Some riders at Atlantic Terminal think they're taking the brunt of it.
"The No. 1 problem is the lack of respect for Brooklyn commuters,” said one commuter. “They're giving us old '90s trains that have electrical problems, which are causing delays."
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority told News 12 that it will be adjusting and adapting as they move forward. It reminded riders that this was a complete rewrite of its schedule – something it has never done as comprehensively as this before.


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