Slippery problem at LIRR station

Rockville Centre commuters could be wishing for a warm and dry winter.

Icy spots, puddles and rock salt were common sights under the Long Island Rail Road station trestle one day last week, the result of a faulty drainage system on the platform that is causing water to drip to the sidewalk, according to John Thorp of the village’s Department of Public Works.

“I put the LIRR on notice, so they know about it,” Mayor Francis X. Murray said in a stern voice during the Jan. 3 village board meeting.

The Herald visited the station on the morning of Jan. 5, when the temperature was 26 degrees with a wind chill of 17. The most hazardous area under the trestle was between Morris and Madison avenues, with two patches of ice that spread across the walkway, scattered small chunks of ice and numerous wet spots. Each area had been salted by the DPW.

There was also salt spread across both sidewalks of North Park Avenue. A hole next to a light fixture at the base of the trestle on the westbound side of the street, with a dark, water-stained line, appeared to be a possible source of the dripping water.

There were more wet spots under the trestle between Park and North Village avenues, with icicles forming from the platform above.

“The village is attempting to work with the Long Island Rail Road to address maintenance of the LIRR areas underneath the train trestle,” Village Administrator Kathleen Murray said. “The safety and security of our residents and visitors is the top priority of this administration.”

Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said the agency is aware of Murray’s complaint. “The LIRR is in the process of responding to Mayor Murray’s concerns about the water issues with a comprehensive short-term and long-term plan,” Donovan said, declining to elaborate on those plans.

The DPW did not respond to requests for further comment.

Escalator delay

The new escalator behind the station’s main ticket office, which LIRR spokesman Sal Arena said in October “should be done by the end of December,” is still under construction. The original completion date was September, but structural issues at other stations along the Babylon line created delays.

Donovan said that before the escalator can be put in service, it must be connected to a fire alarm system. That work is scheduled for later this month.

“The LIRR is installing a new fire and life-safety alarm system at Rockville Centre, and to reduce overall construction disruptions to customers, this work is being done concurrently with the escalator replacement,” he said. “The alarm replacement and the escalator replacement together are scheduled to be completed in February.”

Donovan explained that it was better for the MTA to install the new escalator and alarm system simultaneously, rather than re-install the old fire alarm system and make another change later on.

Rockville Centre was one of six stations on the Babylon line that the LIRR deemed most in need of replacement escalators. The other five were Amityville, Baldwin, Copiague, Freeport and Lindenhurst. The railroad allocated $14 million to fix the aging equipment.

The old escalator was taken out of service last May so it could be demolished and the site prepared for construction, according to the LIRR.