NEW YORK — Long Island Rail Road service was suspended Saturday after several unions went on strike, shutting down one of the nation’s busiest commuter railroads and leaving nearly 300,000 daily riders searching for other ways to travel.
The MTA said the strike is in effect and urged riders to work from home if possible, avoid nonessential travel and allow significant extra time if they must commute. Officials warned there is no real substitute for the LIRR and said the shutdown is expected to cause severe congestion on roads and crowding on other transit options.
The agency said it will operate limited weekday shuttle bus service for essential workers and riders who cannot telecommute. Peak-direction buses will run toward Manhattan from 4:30 to 9 a.m. and back to Long Island from 3 to 7 p.m., connecting six Long Island locations with subway transfer points in Queens. Some limited reverse-peak service will also be available.
Planned shuttle routes include Bay Shore to Howard Beach-JFK Airport, Huntington and Ronkonkoma to Jamaica-179th Street, and peak-only service from Hempstead Lake State Park, Hicksville and Mineola to Howard Beach-JFK Airport. Shuttle bus service will be free, though riders will need to pay for subway or bus transfers using OMNY.
The MTA also directed Nassau County riders to consider NICE Bus connections to Queens subway stations and recommended several subway stations as passenger drop-off points, including Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue, Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike, Ozone Park-Lefferts Boulevard, Sheepshead Bay and Woodhaven Boulevard. Officials said those stations do not have parking lots and should not be used for parking.
Accessible shuttle options will be available from Bay Shore, Hempstead Lake State Park, Hicksville, Mineola, Huntington and Ronkonkoma to accessible subway transfer points, the MTA said.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said the agency will continue negotiating but argued the unions’ wage demands would strain the authority’s budget and could force costs onto riders and taxpayers. He said the MTA intends to issue prorated refunds to May monthly ticket holders for business days when service is suspended, pending board approval.
