LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD COMMUTER COUNCIL
MINUTES OF OCTOBER 13, 2016
A meeting of the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council (LIRRCC) was convened at 4:30 p.m. on October 13, 2015 in the LIRR East Side Access Readiness Conference Room at 450 7th Avenue, 20th Floor, New York.
The following members were present:
Gerard Bringmann
Mark Epstein
Maureen Michaels
Bryan Peranzo
Larry Rubinstein
The following members participated via phone:
Owen Costello
The following members were absent:
Sheila Carpenter
Michael Godino
Ira R. Greenberg
Raymond Pagano
In addition, the following persons were present:
William Henderson -PCAC Executive Director
Hector Garcia -LIRR
Christopher Greif -NYCTRC
Richard Schulman -Concerned citizen
Approval of Agenda and Minutes
The agenda for the October 13, 2015 meeting was approved and the minutes of the August 11, 2015 meeting were approved.
Chair’s Report
Mark Epstein asked for questions on the material in the Chair’s report, which was previously distributed to members. There were no questions
Mr. Epstein also announced that the Council’s request for a part time outreach assistant has been approved to be included in the budget that will be presented for adoption by the MTA Board.
Communication Working Group Report
Larry Rubinstein said that the communication working group had not yet had the time to begin drafting a report but will be putting one together and circulate the report to the Council for comments.
Mark Epstein asked if Hector Garcia and the Communications Working Group could work to coordinate a tour of the Passenger Information Office. Mr. Garcia said that he would work with the Council to set up a tour that works for members’ schedules.
Member Report
Bryan Peranzo stated he had seen little work taking place on the Hicksville station and is concerned in light of the accelerated completion date that the Governor has announced.
Mr. Garcia replied that most of the current work is being done on the weekends, but that next summer an entire platform will be shut down and the origin of some trains that are now starting at Hicksville will be shifted to Jamaica.
Maureen Michaels stated that summer service from Port Jefferson has been radically reduced for two summers in a row. She said that the service is barely adequate and that riders need more than a three-day notice of weekend disruptions. Ms. Michaels said that she had an extended conversation with a Stony Brook rider outlining the way that service had been seriously disrupted on the Port Jefferson Branch.
Mr. Garcia said that personnel responsible for work on the LIRR are being told by President Nowakowski that they must avoid coming back to the same sections of track multiple times. Instead, the LIRR will work to consolidate work so that sections of track are out of service for a shorter total length of time.
Gerry Bringmann said that there was good communication during an incident where a car was blocking the track on the South Shore. Mr. Epstein commented that there was detailed on-board communication during a delay he experienced. Ms. Michaels added there was frequent communication in her train during this delay, but the service was so bad that she left the train and headed back east.
Ms. Michaels commented that there is a place just past New Hyde Park where there is a tilt in the rail on the eastbound bound tracks and asked whether this could have contributed to the derailment that had happened nearby or to other problems. Bill Henderson noted that most reports about the derailment said that the work train had fouled the tracks where the passenger train was operating and that this caused the derailment. Mr. Garcia said that he would get her an aerial photograph of the area so that she could more precisely identify the point where the tilt occurs.
New Business
Yannis Takos of the LIRR was on hand to discuss the state of mobile ticketing on the LIRR. He serves as the Manager for the Mobile Ticketing, or eTix, project on the LIRR. Mr. Takos said that the project team has representatives from every department across the Rail Road and that the project team has received many pieces of positive feedback on the project.
Mr. Takos outlined the experience since the rollout of the eTix system. There has been continued growth in usage and strong sales across both railroads, as well as 323,000 downloads of the ticketing app. At the LIRR eTix accounts for 6 percent of all tickets sold. This is better than systems in Boston and Los Angeles and ahead of projections for the end of the first year.
Ms. Michaels suggested that the LIRR continue to staff an information table at Penn Station and said that this will bring more people to use the system. Mr. Epstein asked whether the ticketing app can be downloaded as a part of TrainTime. Mr. Takos said that TrainTime and eTix are separate programs but that they are linked so they can work together; for example, results of a search on TrainTime will automatically be transferred to the eTix app.
Owen Costello stated he has downloaded eTix but does not use it, as he would lose his discount for joint purchases of NYC Transit and LIRR fares.
Yannis Takos said that currently the validation of tickets purchased through eTix is visual, but that the changing color patterns and running time until expiration make the ticket screen difficult to counterfeit. Bryan Peranzo said that conductors are checking the eTix screens, but different crew members are checking different elements of the activated tickets. Mr. Takos said that the LIRR is planning to start electronic validation in January, and at this time riders will have to show the ticket barcode. Once activated, a ticket will be good for one and one-half times the scheduled length of the trip.
Mr. Takos stated that the LIRR would like people to activate their tickets before boarding because this ensures payment and keeps conductors from waiting for a ticket to be activated. Several Council members noted that the emphasis on early activation ensures that fares are paid, even if tickets are not checked.
Larry Rubinstein stated that he knows someone who erroneously entered his destination for a weekly ticket and that this person was unable to cancel the ticket through Customer Service. LIRR Director of Customer Information Chris Papandreou said that riders who have similar problems should contact Customer Service and the LIRR will make a one-time exception to cancel the old ticket and issue a replacement.
Mr. Peranzo said he never noticed that the TrainTime app has a link to eTix. Mr. Takos confirmed that the link is there and that origin and destination information from TrainTime is transferred to eTix when the link is used.
Mr. Epstein asked the effect of a change at Jamaica on eTix tickets. Mr. Papandreou said that train changes are programed within the system, with times assigned for the trip that include provisions for transfers.
Mr. Takos noted that the LIRR had a mandatory eTix training program, rather than written information, for its employees and that this has been successful. Also, there is a protocol for delays and a way to automatically extend the tickets when there is a problem. Mr. Epstein asked about the rider’s recourse when he or she activates a ticket but cannot complete the trip due to a delay. Mr. Takos said that the LIRR will refund tickets in these cases when contacted by the rider.
Mr. Rubinstein asked whether the LIRR can put a way to contact it in the eTix app. Mr. Takos replied that there is a “contact us” button in the app, but that the LIRR has not promoted it.
Chris Greif asked whether eTix tickets will be cross honored on NICE Bus or NYC Transit if there are delays. Mr. Takos responded that they will not normally be cross honored.
Old Business
Mr. Garcia said that the replacement Port Washington station overpass will be delivered the week of the 24th and installed the next weekend. He said that the status of the Third Track is that the LIRR and MTA is working on a draft environmental impact statement for public comment in the new year. The alternatives included will include the potential for new parking in structures as well as renovations of stations in the project area.
Mr. Garcia said that the Ronkonkoma Branch second track project is progressing, with the laying of the track completed. It will take two years to finish the project by installing signals, providing traction power, and renovating stations where additional platforms are needed.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
William Henderson
Executive Director