UPDATE: A petition has been circulating among West Hempstead commuters to bring back more Atlantic Terminal trains. The new schedule, while offering expanded service to Manhattan, has cut back on the number of trains heading to Atlantic Terminal frustrating many riders who have been negatively impacted by the changes.
The petition was started by the riders group Passengers United and as of Wednesday afternoon (3/8) had 150 signatures. Access the petition here.
“While the MTA claims that service to/from Brooklyn has increased by 30%, many fewer trains actually continue into Long Island, as much of that service is diverted to Grand Central,” the petition reads. “This means that most trips between Brooklyn and Long Island now require changing trains at the Jamaica interchange station in Queens. This has increased travel times, complicated their trips, and, ultimately, resulted in lower ridership between Jamaica and Brooklyn on the LIRR. This has also contributed to confusion and overcrowding on station platforms in Jamaica and many missed connections, since there are no more timed transfers
For the first time in the LIRR’s 185 years, train service between West Hempstead and Grand Central Station began with the morning commute on Monday, Feb. 27.
Trains leaving the West Hempstead terminal at 5:22 am and 7:24 am will bring commuters to the brand new LIRR station called Grand Central Madison (GCM). While the earlier train requires a transfer at Jamaica for arrival on the East Side at 6:11, the 7:24 will whisk commuters directly for a scheduled 8:11 arrival (though initial delays should be expected.) View or download the full local schedule here or plan your trip here
For the return trip, commuters may board at GCM at 3:04, 5:36, 5:51 and 6:41, with a transfer at Jamaica required for the latter train. Limited service to Grand Central via shuttle from Jamaica began on January 25.
The new service is part of sweeping changes in LIRR service announced by the MTA on Feb. 8.
Dave and Norm went to the West Hempstead Station to get a sense of how day 1 of the new LIRR schedule is going:
The news is not all good. Weekend service to West Hempstead has been drastically curtailed, with no trains leaving either Grand Central or Penn on Saturday or Sunday. Trains from Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn will still depart for West Hempstead throughout those days.
Under the new schedule key morning peak/rush hour times have been changed for trains originating at the West Hempstead terminal, with trains now at 5:22, 6:26, 7:24, 7:53, 8:48 and 9:57. On the return trip, afternoon peak times have been changed to 5:00, 5:19, 6:11, 6:34, 6:39 and 7:32. The schedule was last changed on Sept. 22, 2022.
And if these service changes aren’t enough to make you squeeze your coffee cup, we can also look forward to fare increases in the near future of up to 5.5 percent to address shortfalls in ridership due to the Covid pandemic, officials say.
How is your commute affected? Let us know how you feel at westhempsteadecho@gmail.com or leave us a comment on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WestHempsteadEcho
Editor’s note: Due to innacurate information posted by the LIRR, Echo ealier reported that there were no trains leaving Penn Station for West Hempstead between 6 am and 5 pm. Check the TrainTime app for accurate timetables.
