Roughly 250,000 commuters who take the Long Island Rail Road each weekday may need to find an alternate route.
Union workers went on strike Saturday, sending the busiest commuter rail in North America to a screeching halt.
What You Need To Know
Long Island Rail Road union workers went on strike Saturday, sending the busiest commuter rail in North America to a screeching halt
While the MTA is urging riders to work from home if they can, the transit agency has released a contingency plan for those who have to commute
The agency said shuttle buses will run to and from six LIRR stations to subway transfer points in Queens during peak hours on weekdays
All service was suspended indefinitely early Saturday after the MTA and union leaders failed to reach a deal on a new contract Friday night.
While the MTA is urging riders to work from home if they can, the transit agency has released a contingency plan for those who have to commute. The plan is only in effect on weekdays, so riders who planned to take the LIRR this weekend will need to find alternate routes.
The agency said shuttle buses will run to and from six LIRR stations to subway transfer points in Queens during peak hours on weekdays: to Manhattan from 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and to Long Island from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The MTA laid out its contingency plan in the event of a strike, but the plan is only in effect for weekdays. (MTA)
Peak and reverse peak direction service will be available at these stations:
Bay Shore to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train station
Huntington to the Jamaica-179th Street F train station at Hillside Avenue and 179th Street
Ronkonkoma to the Jamaica-179th Street F train station at Hillside Avenue and 179th Street
These stations will only have peak direction service:
Hempstead Lake State Park, near Lakeview, to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train station
Hicksville to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train station
Mineola to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train station
The shuttle buses will be free of charge, but riders will have to pay to transfer to the subway or to an MTA bus, the transit agency said.
Those living in Nassau County can consider NICE buses, which will take them into Queens. These MTA locations will have connections to NICE buses:
The 179th Street E and F train station: n1, n6, n6x, n22, n22x, n24, n26
The Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue A train station: n31, n31x/m, n32, n33
The Flushing-Main Street 7 train station: n20g, n20x
The Jamaica Bus Terminal, a short walk from the 169th Street F train station: n1, n6, n6x, n22, n22x, n24, n26
The Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer E, J and Z train station: n4, n4x
NICE buses will run at both peak and reverse peak times.
If commuters want to drive to a train station, the following MTA stations will have drop-off points, but no parking:
The Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue A train station
The Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike E and F train station
The Ozone Park-Lefferts Boulevard A train station
The Sheepshead Bay B and Q train station
The Woodhaven Boulevard J train station
LIRR officials on Friday said the contingency plan cannot carry the hundreds of thousands of commuters who normally use the commuter rail on weekdays. It’s only expected to transport about 13,000 commuters in the morning and 13,000 in the evening.
“We are asking [commuters] to talk to your employer and work remotely if you can,” MTA chief customer officer Shanifah Rieara said at a news conference. “And allow our strike shuttle bus operation for essential workers: those who have to come into the city who don’t have the way and means to come in by car.”
It’s unclear when negotiations will resume. The MTA said normal service may not return on Monday even if a deal is struck this weekend.
The last time LIRR workers went on strike was 1994.