Doing Our Part
We know times are tough. Oil and gas prices are up, inflating the cost of living on many fronts. Your dollars simply don't go as far as they once did. We want you to know that all of the MTA's agencies are trying to do their part to cut costs, while looking for ways to be more efficient. The LIRR is reducing projected expenses by 6% over the next four years by taking a number of steps, including cutting vehicle use, lowering telecommunications expenses, and imposing a delay of hiring for all but the most critical positions. At the same time, we are looking at ways to be more efficient. The LIRR's "Trash for Cash" program is an example of our efforts to make the most out of what we have. By salvaging scrap metal along our tracks, we've raised more than $700,000 so far this year ... and $3 million since 2006. The LIRR makes great economic sense for our customers. In a time when pump prices for gasoline have doubled, the price of an average LIRR train ticket remains a very good deal. The fare you pay covers less than half of the actual cost of the trip. The other half of that equation is covered by state and city subsidies. Our efforts to cut and trim ... and to become more efficient ... will not end here, and they will continue in conjunction with our commitment to improving our On Time Performance and maintaining service levels.

Hurricane Preparedness
The hurricane season is here ... Gustav, Hanna, Ike and more ... so we've been working closely with emergency officials in New York City, Nassau and Suffolk Counties on contingency plans. Area emergency officials have agreed that as a potentially dangerous storm approaches there could be a time when, for safety's sake, it might become necessary to suspend LIRR service. Should that time come, we will halt all service in order to protect our customers, employees and the Railroad's assets. Under the plans, our so-called "zero hour" would arrive when storm winds in our area reach a sustained speed of 39 MPH. Depending upon a hurricane's size and forward speed, "zero hour" could occur up to 24 hours before the actual worst part of the storm arrives. That's why it is important for our customers to heed official storm warnings, especially those concerning evacuations. We urge you to pay attention to official evacuation notices, and understand that the LIRR may not be available for last-minute evacuees. You can also sign up for email alerts from the LIRR's Public Information Office.

Tell Us What You Think
Starting this month we'll be distributing our annual Customer Satisfaction Surveys on most Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday AM Peak trains. You can complete your survey and return it on the spot, or take some time and return the postage-paid questionnaire in the mail. Please take part ... and let us know the areas that you think need improvement and/or are most important.

Extra Service for Yom Kippur
Extra service will be provided for Yom Kippur with eight additional eastbound trains from Penn Station on Wednesday afternoon, October 8. See your schedule for the details, which include the three trains each on the Babylon and Port Jefferson branches, plus one each for the Port Washington and Far Rockaway branches.

Victory Train
On Saturday, September 20, the MTA Long Island Rail Road will take part in the 12th Annual Breast Cancer Victory Day. We will be joining and assisting the Mather-St. Charles Health Alliance for this special event, which honors those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. The commemorative Victory Train will once again travel from Penn Station to Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, transporting those who are gathering to celebrate the continuing fight against this disease. Go to our website for Victory Train scheduling info. To register, or for additional information on Breast Cancer Victory Day, please call 631-474-6030.

Belmont Special
The Belmont Park Fall Racing season will continue through Sunday, October 26. As always, the LIRR is the best way to get to the races. Want details about our service? ... go to our website.

Playoff Service to Shea
The Mets are making another run for the National League East pennant. If they make it into the playoffs, the Railroad will be providing extra service to Shea Stadium before and after the games. Visit our website for schedule details ... and remember -- Shea Stadium is not accessible by wheelchair from the LIRR's station platform.

September and safety -
They go hand in hand,
With kids back in school
Across Long Is-land.
One lesson to learn
From the first day of class:
If the crossing gate's closed,
Do NOT try to pass.
When approaching the tracks
Should the striped arms go down -
Don't even THINK
'Bout scooting around.
Those flashing lights?
The bells that you hear?
They're meant to save lives
We hope that is clear.
Utilize wisdom,
Exercise care,
Then ride the Railroad,
We'll get you there.

Monthly OTP
The On Time Performance (OTP) of 95.52% for August 2008 was the best ever for the month. This was the fourth time (January, May, June, August) we've managed to post a best-ever month this year ... and on two other occasions (February and April) we were very close. We know OTP is your #1 issue. We're working on it.

BRANCH	AM Peak	PM Peak	Off- Peak	Total August 2008	Total August 2007
Babylon	94.8	92.7	96.0	95.3	93.6
Far Rockaway	97.4	98.9	99.0	98.8	96.7
Hicksville/Huntington	96.5	92.9	97.4	96.6	92.2
Hempstead	95.4	99.4	98.4	98.2	95.2
Long Beach	97.8	93.5	97.0	96.7	95.7
Montauk	91.1	91.2	93.7	93.1	89.9
Oyster Bay	94.6	91.3	95.0	94.4	88.7
Port Jefferson	91.7	91.2	91.8	91.7	90.2
Port Washington	96.6	92.7	95.0	94.9	92.8
Greenport/Ronkonkoma	94.4	94.9	92.7	93.3	90.8
West Hempstead	98.1	99.2	98.1	98.3	96.8
TOTAL	95.3	93.9	95.9	95.5	93.1

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