Joint LIRR Metro-North Committee Testimony
Good morning, I’m Brian Fritsch, Associate Director for the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.
Earlier this July, as we celebrate disability pride month, I was happy to join the LIRR team and Rochdale Village residents to celebrate the now-fully accessible Locust Manor LIRR station. Rochdale is a naturally occurring retirement community, and it was great to hear from residents and elected leaders about what a difference the station upgrades would make in their day-to-day lives.
It was another stop on the track to two fully accessible railroads, with the number of inaccessible stations down to single digits. We look forward to seeing plans to finish the job for the remaining stations soon, including at Mets-Willets Point, which I’m required to mention by name if I want to keep working at PCAC.
As the railroads look back on the first half of 2026, we’re pleased to see ridership numbers, particularly commutation, up significantly over last year, including the LIRR’s record June. Congratulations! This good news comes despite blizzards, strikes, and other hurdles the railroads had to overcome.
Yet we continue to hear from riders who hope for a bit more flexibility in ticketing procedures, so they might be able to buy slightly ahead of time, or those still mourning the loss of the 10-trip discount who feel the current offer of an eleventh free trip within only two weeks is far too tight a window to be useful. We’re curious if riders shared some of the same concerns in the most recent Customer Counts survey.
We know we are still months away from the next round of fare increases and policy changes, but we want to be sure we have two railroads that are both accessible and affordable to all. Thank you.