LIRR commuters frustrated with new schedule changes: "It's absolutely terrible"
NEW YORK -- Wednesday marked the third day since the new Long Island Rail Road schedules were put in place.
Many riders couldn't wait to finally have service into Grand Central, but others said they are not happy with the changes.
There was frustration from LIRR riders coming off different trains into Penn Station. They shared videos of their crowded commute.
"I've been taking it since Monday morning, since the new schedule started, and it's absolutely terrible. There's no room to sit. There's no room to stand. You're squished up against one another," Roslyn resident Roxin Dayan said.
"The seats were all taken. There wasn't room to stand. If you moved one inch that way, you hit someone," another rider said.
"The train was packed, so packed that I couldn't breathe before," another rider said.
"I got on the 7:29 and it stopped everywhere. I think it stopped at McDonald's, there were so many stops," added John Bonreine of Hicksville.
READ MORE: LIRR commuters navigate schedule changes as Grand Central Madison service takes full effect
They were among those trying to get used to that train schedule changes that went into effect Monday, the first day of full service at the new Grand Central Madison terminal.
The new terminal is a welcome and long-awaited addition for those headed to the East Side. The MTA has said it will increase LIRR service by 41%.
Watch Jenna DeAngelis' report
However, West Side commuters headed to Penn say it's not adding up.
"The service in the Manhasset line, the Port Washington line, has been changed from off-peak to one train per hour. It's not right. It's not right, and we're paying what? We're paying all this money to stand on a train?" said Nicole Karagheuzoff of Manhasset.
The new schedule has left Babylon resident Kyle Chugh dealing with a longer commute.
"I usually have a 7:10 a.m. Now it's a 6:59 a.m. I used to get home at 7 p.m. Now it's 7:30 p.m., so it went up 40 minutes," Chugh said.
"I'm now getting to work late. I used to catch a 5:30 to get home, and the next train is almost 6 o'clock," said Paula Giglio, who commutes from Northport.
"It adds another 10, 15 minutes to my commute," rider John Massey said.
Lisa Daglian, with the rider advocacy group Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, is calling for more changes.
"We would like to see better timed transfers," she said. "We'd like to see more trains added back into the schedules, more express trains added, some more regularity into the schedules ... We have heard from people who are happy, very small number, and I expect that the number will grow."
READ MORE: Frustrated Long Island Rail Road riders say new schedule will make commutes longer, less convenient
Around 6 p.m., LIRR tracking data showed two trains at 111% of the seating capacity.
"Conductors can't even check for tickets, it's that packed," one rider said.
"Platforms are overrun, there's no seats on the trains, but they're saying that they're running more trains. Just doesn't make any sense to me," said Peter Coyne, who commutes from Babylon.
Commuters who take the Oyster Bay line are taking it a step further. Nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition demanding improved service.
"Frustrated that they couldn't keep some trains direct and not have the transfer," one rider said.
"I gotta get up almost an hour earlier. I gotta get up at 4 a.m. now," added Toure Wright of Oyster Bay.
According to the MTA, the LIRR carried more than 60,000 peak passengers on Wednesday morning, with 71% traveling to Penn Station and 29% to Grand Central Madison.
READ MORE: CBS2 rides LIRR from Jamaica to Midtown East to check out new Grand Central Madison
MTA CEO Janno Lieber and LIRR Interim President Catherine Rinaldi spent the morning rush observing it in real time at the LIRR Operations Center in Queens.
In a statement, Rinaldi said, "We're closely monitoring train operations and ridership data every day. These new schedules are the largest overhaul of timetables in the LIRR's history. While we are thrilled many people are saving time on their commute with the opening of Grand Central Madison, we understand that the new service plan is a big change for our Brooklyn and Penn Station customers. We are paying close attention to ridership data, including service options to and from Brooklyn during peak periods. We have already started to lengthen our busiest trains and will continue to monitor ridership patters under the new schedule to see what future adjustments may be necessary."
Many commuters CBS2 spoke with just want to get their commute back on track.
The LIRR says they're responding by adding cars to the busiest trains, and they're monitoring to see what futures changes might be needed.
As far as the Oyster Bay branch goes, CBS2 was told it's increasing to 32 trains per weekday, a 10% service increase.