After three days of a comprehensive strike, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the union reached an agreement on Monday evening. Starting at noon on Tuesday, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) gradually resumed operations, successfully getting Long Island residents’ transportation back on track before the evening rush hour.
New York Governor Hogan and the MTA subsequently issued a statement confirming that the five major labor unions of the Long Island Rail Road had reached an agreement with management that balances fairness and financial stability. This officially ended the strike storm that had paralyzed public transportation on Long Island.
Since the agreement was not finalized until nearly 9 p.m. on Monday evening, intensive scheduling work began on Tuesday morning to arrange for train crews and equipment to return to their positions. MTA officials stated that train services resumed on Tuesday afternoon, initially restoring two-way traffic on the Babylon Branch, Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch, Port Washington Branch, and Ronkonkoma Branch.
Furthermore, regular shuttle services between the Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica Station gradually resumed after 12:30 p.m. As for the remaining branches, services were phased in gradually throughout Tuesday afternoon. MTA strongly advised commuters to use the “TrainTime” mobile app to check real-time schedules.
LIRR President Rob Free stated at a press conference that official schedules would be adjusted based on the day’s actual operational capacity. Free emphasized, “We are ready, and as long as we have the necessary staff and equipment, we will add as many trains as possible to meet commuter demand.”
Before full resumption of service on Tuesday morning, limited shuttle buses were deployed from six different LIRR stations to assist commuters traveling to the city. In the afternoon, shuttles between two subway stations in Queens and Bay Shore, Huntington, and Ronkonkoma continued to operate. However, shuttle services to Hempstead Lake State Park, Hicksville, and Mineola were suspended during the evening rush hour.
Additionally, NICE buses in Nassau County continued to increase shuttle services between New York City subways and Long Island on Tuesday, providing additional capacity support.
This major strike impacted approximately 270,000 commuters on the Long Island Rail Road daily. While the first two strike days fell on a weekend, the third day brought significant chaos to essential workers who needed to travel into the city on Monday. Many commuters expressed frustration as their usual commute times were extended by several hours.
Fortunately, with the reconciliation between labor and management, full train services resumed during the evening rush hour on Tuesday. This relieved the tension for fans preparing to head to Madison Square Garden to watch the New York Knicks’ East Conference Finals game on the night of the 19th, which was the opening match of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.