Major schedule changes start Monday for Long Island Rail Road riders
NEW YORK -- Starting next week, service changes are coming to the Long Island Rail Road that could impact your commute.
The MTA says no matter where or when you ride, your trip will change.
CBS2's Elijah Westbrook spoke with residents along the LIRR's Atlantic Branch about their concerns.
Honey Arnold and her daughter frequently take the Atlantic Terminal-bound train to Nostrand Avenue, saying it's a lifeline during the weekday.
"We use this train a lot from Jamaica Avenue to get to Brooklyn," she told Westbrook. "At least twice a week... To get back and forth to work and to her school."
She and other commuters are now becoming aware of changes marked on notices at several stations. They read in part, "All-new schedule starts February 27th," adding, "More frequent service, but expect to change at Jamaica."
"The Atlantic Terminal service is worse than like the Penn Station or some of the other lines. It doesn't run as frequently," Arnold said.
Charlton D'Souza, president of Passengers United, shared those same feelings. He said he's worried the new service won't address the needs of thousands of daily customers who rely on it during rush hours.
"It's going to be devastating to the Brooklyn community, because you have seven trains right now on the current schedule running from Jamaica to Brooklyn, Atlantic Terminal. Starting on Monday, February 27th, it's only going to be four trains," he explained. "This is the information that we got from the railroad."
To understand the impacts, Westbrook sat in on Tuesday's MTA committee meetings, where the opposite notion was expressed. The agency said there will be more rush hour, off-peak and weekend service throughout the railroad, including trains running along the Atlantic Branch.
"Trains will run approximately every 12 minutes during peak and reverse peak period times, and approximately every 20 minutes weekdays, nights and weekends," said Robert Free, senior vice president of operations at LIRR.
The MTA says 30% more trains will run along the Atlantic Branch in Brooklyn, making stops at East New York and Nostrand Avenue. The West Hempstead Branch is also being extended to Atlantic Terminal throughout the day.
Arnold said the changes sound great on paper, but she remains cautiously optimistic.
"Keep the train open," she said.
CLICK HERE for a full list of service changes.