LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD COMMUTER COUNCIL
MINUTES OF APRIL 21, 2016
A meeting of the Long Island Rail Road Commuter’s Council (LIRRCC) was convened at 4:30 p.m. on April 21, 2016 at the LIRR East Side Access Readiness Conferencece Room at 450 7th Avenue, New York City.
The following members were present:
Sheila Carpenter Michael Godino
Owen Costello Ira Greenberg
Mark Epstein Bryan Peranzo
The following members were on the phone:
Gerard P. Bringmann Maureen Michaels
Matthew Kessler Larry Rubinstein
The following members were absent:
Raymond Pagano
In addition, the following persons were present:
William Henderson -PCAC Executive Director
Angela Bellisio -PCAC Transportation Planner
Hector Garcia -LIRR
John McCarthy -Governor’s Representative at MTA
Approval of Agenda and Minutes
The agenda for the April 21, 2016 meeting was approved. The minutes of the February 11, 2016 meeting were approved.
Chair’s Report
Mark Epstein delivered the Chair’s Report. The written Chair’s Report is attached to these minutes.
Board Report
Ira Greenberg said that the MTA Board talked about central control of trains on the LIRR system and that LIRR leadership really do not know how long it will take to fully centralize train control. He said that LIRR issues are also frequently discussed at the Board’s Safety Committee, which meets every other month. The Safety Committee is looking at leading indicators in preference to trailing indicators in order to anticipate future problems. The confidential close call reporting system(CCCRS) is now in place at the LIRR and seven or eight issues have already been identified.
Mark Epstein noted that in his Chair’s Report, he commented on ridership in West Hempstead and Oyster Bay having the greatest percentage increases and said that he had meant to highlight this. Ira Greenberg commented that those branches had a smaller ridership base, so a relatively small absolute increase could translate to a high percentage increase. William Henderson said that this is the case but that proximity to New York City also seems to be having an impact on ridership growth.
Staff Report
Mr. Henderson summarized the activities that PCAC staff are pursuing. He noted that staff is making a push to set up a means of analyzing the large amount of open data being made available by the MTA and its agencies. This is largely in preparation for the MTA’s next needs assessment exercise, which will guide planning for capital improvements and operational plan changes. Mr. Henderson also briefly noted the comments from riders that had been received since the prior meeting.
Mr. Epstein stated that he has been working with staff on two Op Ed pieces on freight and on the future of Penn Station. He asked members to let him know if they wanted to be involved in the drafting of these pieces.
Mr. Greenberg stated that the LIRR will be starting its move to mobile ticketing in June, which is a major change for the Rail Road. Owen Costello said that he applied for the pilot study of this system, but received a reply that he was not eligible as he purchases a combined monthly ticket and monthly MetroCard. The Council briefly discussed issues surrounding mobile ticketing and the interface of LIRR systems with those of NYC Transit.
Communication Committee Report
Larry Rubinstein stated that he set up an email address to receive reports of communication issues from Council members, but that no one has sent anything to it.
Maureen Michaels commented that having to forward a report to an email is difficult and that she felt that this information could be retrieved from members posts on the LIRRCC Google Group. Bryan Peranzo noted that he had not seen much in terms of comments on communication issues on the Google Group. Sheila Carpenter agreed that there has been little Google Group discussion on communication in the past several months.
Mr. Epstein stated that the council had an offer from the LIRR to visit its Communication Center and asked whether any members wanted to go. If there is interest, a date will be set.
Mr. Rubinstein mentioned that one problem with LIRR communication is that text messages sent by the Rail Road are sometimes truncated. There was some discussion of this issue and the consensus of the members was that whether the messages are received in full depends on the recipient’s cellular carrier.
Member Reports
Mr. Epstein asked for reports from members’ communities. Mr. Godino said that he had no report, but wanted to know what will happen under mobile ticketing relative to the settlement that allowed reduced fare customers to purchase fares on their trains without surcharge. Mr. Greenberg stated that this will continue, as it represents an accommodation for persons with disabilities.
Mr. Epstein said that due to his absences from meetings and need to attend by telephone in other cases Matthew Kessler is stepping down as PCAC First Vice Chair. He suggested that Mr. Greenberg be recommended to fill the position and noted that Mr. Greenberg had indicated that he would accept. The members agreed to recommend Mr. Greenberg for election to this post at the next PCAC meeting.
Mr. Greenberg stated that his community has been tortured by ESA construction late at night. He said that the MTA has promised to cut back on the late night work, which would not be permitted if the entity doing the construction were not a State authority and thus not subject to City rules.
Mr. Epstein stated that he lost a monthly ticket and recognizes that the LIRR portion of the ticket is not refundable as it can be used by anyone finding it. The MetroCard portion of the ticket, however, was cancelled, and he has not been able to get a satisfactory explanation of the reason that, even though the MetroCard portion was cancelled and is not usable, he still can’t get a refund.
Mike Godino stated that there is a slow process involved in replacing reduced fare MetroCards as well, and that if a card is lost the user faces a long wait for a new card.
Introduction of John McCarthy, Representative of the NYS Governor’s Office and Hector Garcia, Government Relation Specialist, LIRR-Public Affairs.
Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Garcia provided an update on LIRR Expansion Project, which would add a third track to the Rail Road’s main line
Mr. McCarthy said that in January the Governor made an announcement regarding the LIRR Expansion Project, starting the process of consultation with local officials. He said that MTA and LIRR staff have been meeting with people in and out of the project corridor and that they have gathered very valuable feedback.
At this stage, the MTA has retained an AECOM-Gannett Fleming joint venture as the environmental specialist to manage the environmental review process. The consultant will be proceeding on an accelerated schedule, with documentation for the scoping process taking place in early May. This will lead to the holding of two scoping hearings in Hicksville and Mineola, which will have open hours through the day and evening. There will also be an informational center established at Mineola. Mr. Epstein asked whether the MTA would consider having part of the public process in Penn Station and Mr. McCarthy said he would take that comment back to the project team.
Mr. McCarthy said that there are two recent announcements that have been made. The first is on the right of way for the project, where the engineers working on the project are now satisfied that they can accomplish the project goals without taking any residential property. The second announcement is related to grade crossings, where the Governor has committed to deal with the seven grade crossings within the project boundaries. Staff is meeting with localities to discuss traffic impacts and met with New Hyde Park officials the night before.
Mr. McCarthy said that the process is complex, incorporating, noise issues, traffic issues, and construction impacts, and that it may be necessary to close crossings during the work. The payoff to greater crossing impacts is quicker construction, but the project team will decide whether to do this in consultation with localities to decide what to do.
It has not been necessary to explain the reason for the improvements, as everyone seems to know why the LIRR wants to make them. There is strong demand for reverse peak service, which can be seen in the ridership ridership of the few reverse peak trains that exist. Because of the limited schedule taking the train is often not an option and many riders are shifting to the shouders of peak periods. Mr. McCarthy said that an example of the demand is people coming to the City in the evening and that, as 40 percent of LIRR traffic in on the Main Line, we need to have service in both directions. The changes are more critical due to changes in travel patterns. Younger people are delaying driving and if we do not provide transit they will go somewhere where it is provided. In sum, the LIRR needs two-way operation, delay reduction, and East Side Access, and this project supports meeting these needs.
Mr. Greenberg asked about the project schedule. Mr. McCarthy replied that there is a schedule for the first year, but the construction schedule would be a subject of the environmental impact analysis process. Mr. Greenberg stated that construction work would probably be in the 2020-2024 Capital Program unless funding is shifted.
Hector Garcia said that supporters of the project needs to attend scoping meetings in May and June. The target is August for the release of a draft EIS, with September hearings. If the process goes well, the project could receive a record of decision by December. He noted that the NYSDOT is working with MTA to make its case on the website amodernLI.com
Mr. Costello stated that he feels that this is a great project and that one thing to consider is needs for upgrading existing infrastructure. Centralized train control is not in place and he said that riders would like to see infrastructure improved long with the project.
As an example of the infrastructure needs, Mr. Epstein noted that there are problems with announcers calling trains at Penn Station, and upon investigation the Council learned that there is no way for announcers to see trains at their platforms.
Maureen Michaels said that there is one issue among residents, which is that the story keeps changing. She asked how no residents became involved in the process, why the LIRRCC is receiving a presentation later than other stakeholders, and how the answers that are provided are to be trusted. Ms. Carpenter remarked that the speakers are providing answers about the project. Ms. Michaels said that she is referencing how the messaging has been done and how it should be done
Mr. McCarthy stated that the project has changed from what was proposed a decade ago. It is shorter now and it is no longer involves only adding a track on the south side of the right-of-way. Project planners have moved the improvements to where available space is, which makes for a more expensive and difficult project, but with lower impacts. He said that the project is changing in the right direction.
Ms. Michaels stated that there are major issues related to the project that the MTA’s messaging has to get right. Mr. Garcia replied that the project team has participated in over sixty meetings and that the message is getting out. Ms. Michaels remarked that the LIRR and MTA is only meeting with the LIRRCC now.
Mr. Epstein said that he had discussed callers not knowing when trains come in, because they cannot see the platforms, and that this is the kind of issue that must be addressed in concert with other improvements. Mr. Costello said that this situation is a safety issue and that one spark can lead to problems due to riders panicing .
Mr. McCarthy said that by early May there will be a scoping document, which will outline travel patterns and future traffic. Mr. Costello said the Council would like infrastructure needs addressed as a part of the first scoping document, and not at a later time. Mr. McCarthy said they are looking at a variety of things, including parking needs, that are not immediately related to constructing a third track.
Old Business
Mr. Epstein noted that the MTA will hold fare hearings this year and asked members to think about ways that fare-related issues that they have raised can be expressed as proposals to the MTA Board. He also said that the LIRRCC should send a letter with recommendations about where hearings should be held and its opposition to multiple hearings on same dates. To ensure that the MTA receives this letter before it is deeply into the planning process for the hearings, the letter should be sent before summer. Mr. Epstein asked that the members give these issues some thought before the next scheduled meeting. Ms. Carpenter noted that the Counties frequently hold hearings on bus issues and suggested that there could be some combination of these hearings since the riders served are often the same individuals.
Mr. Epstein also noted that the Council has talked about establishing a work group on on-time performance and asked for volunteers to serve on the group. Ms. Michaels said that this effort would have to have data. Mr. Greenberg said that the LIRR has information on how many minutes late particular trains run. Mr. Henderson said that staff will need to know what type of data is needed. Larry Rubinstein asked what would happen if Council were to log on-time performance on their trains. Ms.Michaels said that a start would be to take the most heavily used trains and track on-time performance on these trips. Mr.Henderson said that staff would look at this and report back.
New Business
The meeting was adjourned at 6:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
William Henderson
Executive Director