The MTA’s claims that it boosted Long Island Rail Road service by more than 40% with the launch of the Grand Central Madison station is being derailed by a new state audit.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s report examined LIRR post-pandemic ridership — between January 2021 and November 2023 — and looked into the period both before and after the $11 billion Grand Central Madison station, the LIRR’s newest Manhattan stop, which opened in early 2023.
While the MTA touted a 41% spike in the number of LIRR trains operating each day — from 665 to 936 daily — the late May audit found the actual increase was more like 23%, noting the stats were padded by nearly half of those additional service trains making short shuttle runs between Jamaica and Brooklyn.
The additional service runs were meant to help slash commute times and increase the flow of riders from across Long Island into the Big Apple. Instead, the audit found riders experienced the opposite — excessive delays and longer commutes.
“Some passengers may have been required to change their travel times, increasing wait times and adding more steps to their trips where direct service was eliminated,” the audit found, also citing the LIRR’s poor job of applying customer feedback to their service changes.
The MTA disputed the findings in a statement to The Post, claiming it counted additional trains in service between Penn Station and Jamaica but “discounted 118 additional trains to East New York, Nostrand Avenue and Atlantic Terminal, important stations in the City Terminal Zone.”
“Ridership has grown 10 percent over the last year, and riders … are enjoying more trains and reverse-commuting options that didn’t exist before,” the statement added.
“And at a time when the number of available East River tunnels is being reduced for repairs, Grand Central Madison delivers operational flexibility to ensure Long Islanders can get where they need to go.”
LIRR president Robert Free also pushed back on DiNapoli’s findings and pointed to a recent spike in ridership and a “post-pandemic record” in customer satisfaction as signs that many commuters were on board with the plan rolled out in conjunction with the opening of Grand Central Madison, according to Newsday.
The additional Brooklyn trains were defended by MTA policy chief John McCarthy, who said they still serve an important role for riders — since Brooklyn is located on Long Island — and noted it’s not uncommon for some LIRR trains to start or end at Jamaica.
But Peter Haynes, a former LIRR systems project specialist, was “glad to see” the agency get called out, he told the outlet.
“The railroad has a very long history of counting trains and equipment, rather than people,” said Haynes, who is also the founder of the advocacy group, The LIRR Commuters Campaign.
“So I’m not … surprised that someone has finally noticed that passenger experience is really not being addressed at all.”
Jeremy Burd, a lighting-designer who frequently travels from Long Island to Penn Station for work, told The Post that he opts for the simpler route, which often has him avoiding Grand Central Madison.
“It’s usually just easier to go to Penn,” Burd said. “I just wish they would lower the fare, but that will never happen.”
DiNapoli’s office issued several recommendations aimed at improving transparency and rider engagement, including developing a formal system to manage commuter feedback.
“It’s my hope that this audit provides some constructive insights into ways to improve how LIRR riders’ concerns are handled and their riding experience enhanced,” DiNapoli said in a statement.
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