Take the LIRR to See Pompeii - Lost City of the Roman Empire
This winter hasn’t been many peoples’ idea of a good time (unless you’re the abominable snowman!). But there are ways to give yourself a break and get one day closer to spring without worrying about wind chill or low pressure systems.  The LIRR’s New York City Getaways are special travel packages to famous and interesting attractions, new and old, that even long-time New Yorkers will enjoy. Don’t miss the exciting new exhibit about Pompeii, an Italian city that was lost for some 1,500 years under volcanic ash but now reveals the daily lives of its inhabitants at the height of the Roman Empire.  The New York City premiere engagement gets underway March 4th at the Discovery Times Square Exposition. “Pompeii The Exhibit, Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius” lets you experience Pompeii before and after the epic eruption 2,000 years ago. The LIRR is your best way to get there. The LIRR discount package provides up to 40% savings and includes round-trip rail fare and admission to the event. The cost for adults is $33.50, travelling from Zones 1-12, $37 from Zone 14, and $15.50 for children 5-11. 
The "Empire Adventure" LIRR discount package, providing up to a 32% savings, includes a visit to one of the City’s most famous landmarks, the Empire State Building, along with the unique experience of NY Skyride, the City’s only virtual tour simulator. The LIRR package includes round-trip rail fare, admission to the Empire State Building Observatory and admission to the NYSkyride.  The cost is $51 for adults and $19.50 for children 5-11. Children must be 36-inches or taller to participate on the NY Skyride. 
And, of course, there’s the old standby that has terrific new exhibits on a regular basis, the “American Museum of Natural History/Rose Center.”  From the inner workings of the Earth to far reaches of outer space, the LIRR discount package gets you to this world-famous center of education and knowledge with a savings of up to 37%. The cost for adults is $37 and $14.50 for children 5-11. 
Don’t forget the LIRR’s NY Times Travel Show package with a savings of up to 30% for LIRR customers. From February 25-27, more than 500 exhibitors from more than 150 countries will be at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center offering a view of their home countries. The cost for adults is $27 for zones 1-10 travellers and $37 for zones 12-14. Children and teens under 18 are admitted free to the show. For further details about these and all of the LIRR’s NYC Getaways check our website or call 718-217-5477.

 

Presidents' Day Holiday Schedule
The LIRR will operate on a holiday schedule with four additional westbound trains and five additional eastbound trains for Presidents' Day, Monday, February 21. Off-peak fares will be in effect all day. There will be no service between Greenport and Ronkonkoma or on the West Hempstead Branch on this holiday.

 

New Timetables March 7
New schedules go into effect March 7.  Some weekend stops will be restored at Amityville, Copiague & Lindenhurst following completion of a special track work program on the Babylon Branch.The 4:06 PM train from Hunterspoint Avenue to Montauk will have an added Hampton Bays stop. Midday weekday train times will be changed to accommodate Main Line and Montauk Branch track tie replacement and bridge waterproofing on the Port Washington Branch. There are also indirect schedule impacts due to work programs affecting Port Jefferson and Oyster Bay midday weekday service. Please pick up a copy of the new timetables, dated March 7-May 16, 2011, at your station or at all LIRR terminals.

 

What You Told Us About LIRR Service…
The latest customer satisfaction survey had generally positive results for the LIRR.  According to those customers polled, 89% were satisfied with our overall performance. By branch, overall customer ratings ranged from 83% for our Oyster Bay Branch customers to a high of 92% from our Hempstead Branch customers. Our frontline employees, such as train and ticket selling personnel, received the highest rating of 93%. The 2010 survey introduced a new rating system that is being used by all MTA agencies, including the LIRR. Although our grades were pretty good, there is always room for improvement. We use the survey results to try and improveservice. For instance, we are focused on better customer communications during service disruptions. We also are supporting additional parking expansion initiatives at stations as well as improvements in on-board restroom cleanliness. We’ll keep you updated on how we’re doing and, if you did, thank you for taking part in the survey. For the full report see www.mta.info.  

 

Babylon Branch Signal Upgrade Affects Service Weekend of April 9-10
Look for work on a signal system improvement project between Wantagh and Amityville affecting Babylon Branch service for some customers on the weekend of April 9 and April 10. Customers traveling east of Freeport and west of Babylon will take buses to complete their trips for most of that weekend. The work is part of the LIRR’s continuing effort to modernize and eventually centralize our entire signal system, using microprocessor technology. The upgrade means more reliable service on the LIRR’s busiest branch. More details on the work will be forthcoming as the weekend nears.

Meeting Our Managers
The LIRR’s new "Meet The Managers" program was greeted enthusiastically last month in Penn Station. Customers had the opportunity to speak directly to railroad managers at the session that focused on the Port Washington Branch, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside stations. More than a dozen LIRR managers from across the company were available to speak with customers and respond to questions and concerns. Members of the Long Island Rail Road Commuters Council worked with LIRR managers to put together the new "Meet The Managers" format. We invite you to set some time aside to meet our managers and discuss your railroad-related issues and suggestions at our next session on March 22, 4 PM to 7 PM at Penn Station. The focus at this session will be the Port Jefferson and Oyster Bay Branches. We welcome your comments.

 

January OTP
January's OTP was 89.29%.

BRANCH	AM Peak	PM Peak	Off- Peak	Total January 2011	Total January 2010
Babylon	78.1%	84.3%	91.4%	88.2%	96.1%
Far Rockaway	84.1%	92.2%	96.7%	94.6%	98.9%
Hicksville/Huntington	76.6%	80.2%	90.1%	87.2%	96.4%
Hempstead	86.7%	89.4%	95.0%	93.4%	98.5%
Long Beach	82.4%	90.5%	95.5%	93.2%	97.9%
Montauk	75.5%	84.2%	85.9%	84.3%	96.4%
Oyster Bay	75.4%	75.4%	90.8%	86.5%	97.3%
Port Jefferson	75.0%	71.2%	85.0%	81.7%	94.2%
Port Washington	84.2%	91.7%	95.1%	92.9%	97.2%
Ronkonkoma/Greenport	75.5%	85.9%	88.6%	86.0%	95.0%
West Hempstead	81.6%	95.8%	94.2%	92.5%	98.7%
TOTAL	79.4%	86.0%	91.9%	89.3%	96.8%

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