Most riders who use the LIRR, advertised as “the busiest commuter railroad in the country,” know that its facilities and service leave much to be desired. The railroad poses so many problems that it is hard to pick a “worst” instance. I used to take, twice weekly, a train at the Mastic-Shirley station. This is one of the busiest stations on the line but is treated as a backwater.
My train ride to the city took two hours. Had I driven, the trip would have taken a little more than an hour. The distance is only about 65 miles.
In general, conductors are reluctant to confront unruly passengers on the trains themselves. You cannot find an on-train police officer.
The Mastic-Shirley trains come and go at inconvenient and infrequent times. The Suffolk County bus does not coordinate its schedule with that of the LIRR and provides no roofed passenger shelter at this stop. The bus now stops two long blocks away when it should come directly into the station lot.
The station, which has a very large parking lot, is empty between trains. Pools of broken glass mark the sites of the car break-ins and thefts that occur here. Vagrants congregate, panhandling. There are instances of muggings and assaults. As a result, the station is a no-man’s-land between trains, largely empty. Passengers do not—and should not—linger.
Basically, LIRR management does not seem to be accountable to the local public for the way it runs this railroad. Long Island deserves a safe, reliable, fast, well-functioning train system to stimulate industry and serve its large population.
Kathryn Nocerino, New York
As a Long Island business owner, I am appalled at the many ways the Metropolitan Transportation Authority socks it to the taxpayers. Most people don’t know this, but the state leaders have allowed this mammoth bureaucracy to pick our pockets in all kinds of ways.
For starters, if you drive into parts of Manhattan, there’s congestion pricing, and if you own a business, there’s the payroll tax. The more jobs you create, the more you pay. The MTA has its greedy fingers in the sales tax and various use taxes. There are petroleum business taxes, corporate franchise taxes, and auto-rental surcharges.
Wonder why housing costs are so high? These thieves take a piece of the Mortgage Recording Tax and the Real Estate Transfer Taxes.
New York State provides major taxpayer funding, and Nassau and Suffolk counties also pay mandatory subsidies for station maintenance, paratransit requirements, and a share of debt-service contributions. Paying for the MTA’s debt consumes about $3 billion per year.
Gov. Hochul and the powers that be in Albany let this abuse continue year after year. They should be turfed out on this alone.
Ryan Hellmann, Port Jefferson Station