As Long Island Rail Road gets ready to begin full service to Grand Central Madison on Monday, it will be a welcome time-saver for many commuters.
However, riders on one branch of LIRR say the new schedule will make their commutes much worse. Commuters on the Oyster Bay branch feel like they are getting a raw deal.
More than 1,500 people have signed an online petition saying their commutes have gotten longer and more difficult since the completion of East Side Access, the billion-dollar MTA project connecting the railroad to Grand Central.
"They made an already bad situation worse," said Glen Cove City Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola, a commuter herself who said she has spoken to the MTA about less trains and longer transfer times at Jamaica.
"It was already too long, and when you spend that kind of money, it seems unfathomable that it could actually get worse," the councilwoman said.
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With the new schedule taking effect Monday, the Oyster Bay branch will have 10 percent more trains — but commuters say that’s not nearly enough to make their travel times shorter.
"Dramatically inconvenient, it almost doubles the time of my commute home," said Glen Cove commuter Dino Velentzas.
The MTA told NBC New York in a statement that they are going to "review, monitor and assess ridership patterns with customer feedback, and consider adjustments to the schedule where appropriate.”
"It’s not good for the people that live there, it’s not good for the people that potentially want to live in our area. People need to get around," said Scagliola.
