Five Towns commuters shrug off ‘summer of hell’

MTA work viewed as a nuisance, for now

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Though the next six weeks of Amtrak repair work in Penn Station is being referred to as the “summer of hell,” a few Five Towns commuters were blasé about the train schedule changes. The work began on July 10, and should be completed by Sept. 1.

Most of the changes along the Far Rockaway line occur during peak evening times. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will offer bus and ferry service, free out-of-station subway transfers and fare discounts to commuters.
Morning commuters along the Far Rockaway line seemed relatively unfazed by what several described as “a slight inconvenience” and “a nuisance.”

Charles Small, a lawyer from Lawrence, said, “Last night I tried to take a later train home, and I transferred at Jamaica. It wasn’t that bad, I’ll live through it.”
Penny Berkowitz, another commuter leaving from Lawrence, is retired, but she was heading into the city for a spa day, and said her husband regularly commutes. She said, “He always goes in through Brooklyn. He never comes home through Brooklyn, but he will have to now.”

Preston Douglas, a lawyer, said that has altered his routine slightly. “Coming home, I’ll go to Atlantic Terminal instead of going to Penn,” he said. “In order to do that I’ll have to leave a little early.”

Douglas said his office is closer to Penn Station, but it’s not much farther from the Atlantic Terminal. A Lawrence resident, he is moving to the city. “I’ve already sold my house,” he said. “While the Long Island Rail Road isn’t why I sold the house, I’m looking forward to not having to deal with it.”

Several other commuters, who declined to give their names, said that the changes didn’t affect their commute or they only created minor issues. “Give it a week,” said one commuter at the Hewlett station who asked not to be identified. “I’m sure by then people will be upset.”

These repairs come after two recent derailments. Officials said that a defect on the tracks caused a New Jersey Transit train to derail on April 3, shutting down eight of the station’s 21 tracks over four days. Another NJT train derailed on July 6, just four days before repairs began. No one was injured in either incident, but the infrastructure showed its age.

In June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans for a major construction project to renovate Penn Station by 2020. State Senate Republicans approved $1.95 billion for a third track from Floral Park to the Hicksville station on the main line on July 12. Supporters of this measure believe that it will allow more trains to travel both east and west, easing the commute.

The plan also has the support of both the State Assembly and the governor, who said in a statement, “I am proud to partner with our local governments and the Legislature with a project that is going to change the game for the Long Island region and all its residents that will benefit from it for generations to come.”

Local commuters might be taking the “summer of hell” in stride, but attitudes could change. Bonnie Edelman, another retiree heading into the city for the day from Hewlett, summed up the feelings that other commuters had expressed: “I’m not expecting any issues [on the way home], but we’re always prepared for it because anything can happen when you’re traveling on the Long Island Rail Road.”

Have an opinion on the “summer from hell”? Send your letter to the editor to
jbessen@liherald.com.