The Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council (LIRRCC) officially opened its first office on Long Island in Mineola on Friday, June 5. The office is located in Nassau County’s Ralph G. Caso Executive and Legislative Building at 1 West Street. The opening was commemorated with a ceremony at the building in the morning, which looked to the future while celebrating the LIRR’s past with a display of memorabilia from Steven Quigley of the National Railway Historical Society Long Island Sunrise Trail Chapter.
The turnout was large and the tone was optimistic. LIRRCC Chair Mark Epstein said he was excited for this new chapter for the Council. He noted “the time is right for our Council to establish a physical presence on Long Island, as our new office will help us to reach out to important stakeholders in our community and to provide a point of access to the LIRRCC for riders and others in the community. This will help us do a better job in our work to improve conditions for the riders.” Mr. Epstein spoke of the consistent evolution of Long Island and its travel patterns and how this constant change brought vitality to Long Island’s future. He concluded that the LIRRCC must continue to work to ensure full funding of the Capital Program in order for Long Island to flourish. He highlighted the need for second track to be fully funded, East Side Access to be completed, station renewal, and infrastructure improvements among others.
Epstein and the Long Island Commuter Council thanked Nassau County and County Executive Mangano for making the space available to them, looking forward to a future where the Council can reach out more effectively to local officials and advocacy groups to strengthen the voice of Long Island Rail Road daily riders.
Long Island Rail Road’s President Patrick Nowakowski, Senator Henry Holley, and Monica Martinez of Suffolk County among others thanked the LIRRCC for their work.
County Executive Edward Mangano of Nassau County, Senator Michael Venditto, Darnell Tyson and Presiding Officer Duwayne Gregory of Suffolk County, Legislator Rose Marie Walker of Nassau County, and Supervisor Kate Murray of the Town of Hempstead, all acknowledged the work of Epstein and the LIRRCC through proclamations and citations.
See the full press release here: LIRRCC LI Office Opens
You can read a Newsday editorial here: Commuter council opens unstaffed office for LIRR riders
