© Seth Harrison/The Journal News via Imagn Content Services, LLC
(Long Island, NY) – Door malfunctions on Long Island Railroad train cars are causing big delays. Newsday reports delays were up 79-percent in the first half of this year, compared to the same time in 2023. The LIRR saw 102 delays caused by mechanical issues related to doors in the first half of 2024, up from 57 during the same period last year. The door issues arising in the Long Island Rail Road’s decades-old trains are adding urgency to calls for the MTA to modernize its aging fleet.
Part of the problem comes from decades-old trains. The MTA had planned to retire the cars years ago, but hasn’t because of delays in getting new train cars to replace them. Governor Kathy Hochul’s postponement of congestion pricing has taken away the funding needed for the new cars.
