Long Island Rail Road [LIRR]
reviews and complaints

The LIRR trains continue to blow their horns all day and night. There are no workers on the tracks, nor are there any people at risk, but the train operators still blow their horns through our residential neighborhood. They are destroying our quality of life with their daily noise pollution, causing us anxiety, high blood pressure, and sleep deprivation.

Enclosed are three clips from today August 21, 2023 starting at 7:19pm and ending at 7:38pm.

Enclosed

Please stop the drivers/conductors of the LIRR trains from blowing their horns every time they pass our building.

They are causing us stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, sleeplessness, and destroying our peace of mind.

There are no workers on the tracks so they are blowing their horns for no reason.

Please make them stop!

Enclosed are three videos from today August 17, 2023.

All morning, afternoon and night the LIRR trains blow their horns as they pass our building. There is no one working on the tracks. And no one in danger of being hit by a train.

Still, they blow their horns and cause us and our pets anxiety, hearing loss, headaches, racing hearts and sleepless nights. They are degrading the quality of our lives and wrecking havoc on our physical, mental and emotional health. We have to close our windows just hear each other speak, watch television or have peace and quiet. Furthermore, all spring and summer, we have to use air conditioners and fans because we cannot open our windows, having to pay more money just for comfort in our home just because of the LIRR.

Please make the drivers and conductors stop ruining our lives!

Included are three of the many videos that we have recorded capturing the noise pollution the LIRR is exposing to everyone in this residential neighborhood. All three were recorded on Saturday afternoon 8/12/23 from 4:55pm to 6:03pm.

This is a formal complaint against conductor 7604. The incident occurred today, 8/8/23 on the 8:28 am train from Port Washington to Penn Station. The time of incident was approximately 9:00 am. I was unable to access my MTA app/pre-paid tickets, 20 pack. There was some difficulty with cellular service, and I rec'd "failed error code" messages and call "511" for help. I also rec'd a message that said "possible security breach with password". I was calling 511 when conductor 7604 screamed at me, said "i gave you enough time lady". "Buy a ticket!" I asked him to move forward in the car, explained the situation and he screamed that I pay for a ticket. He charged me penalty fee $19 for the one way ticket. He was angry and volatile and hovered over me the whole time. I felt threatened by him and shaken by his hostility and rudeness, as were the other passengers who were trying to help me figure out the issue. I have never been treated that way before on LIRR- that man should not be around people. I would like to be reimbursed for the ticket, at lease the penalty fee, and conductor 7604 is a lunatic who needs to be removed from his post.

The Lirr trains passing by 67 Avenue and Austin Street in Rego Park blow their horns day and night. The horns are so loud they create anxiety and a racing heart in us and they hurt our ears. We cannot hear anything when they pass by and we are woken up in the middle of the night by their horns. Even when we sleep in the day from working all night we are woken up. During the summer time we cannot open our windows because of the trains and need to use the air conditioner just to cool down, which is costly and environmentally destructive.

This is a quality of life issue. Our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing are impacted hourly. And the noise never stops.

It is one thing for trains to blow their horns when workers are on the tracks, but most of the time that is not the case. Please stop these Long Island Rail Road trains from needlessly blowing their horns! Please! Please! Please!

Purchased ticket from Penn to Atlantic Terminal. When transferred from Jamaica, took the “ticker” left on my seat for the transfer. When confronted, I explained to Employee 6345 that I already paid. He told me there is an additional fee. As I was going to prepare to leave, he asked for my ID. When he scanned my ID, he handed me an invoice for an amount that was almost tripled of what he initially stated. Not only was his communication lacking, he was unprofessional, rude, and unclear. I could have just left instead of having to pay again.

For the past three weeks, there has been delays n the Hempstead line (Jamaica bound). Last week I purchased a 10:18 ticket which was 5 minutes late. On Monday I purchased a 7:48am ticket which was over 20 minutes late. I lost money. I’m a therapist and charge by the half hour. I get paid $50 per half hour. And I lost that money. Who’s accountable for that. This is unacceptable. Today, I purchased a 11:18am ticket and the train got here at 11:24am. I take the LIRR because it saves me time to travel from along island to Brooklyn. It’s no longer saving me time if your trains keep getting delayed. But you are super quick to charge me if I make a mistake. Two weeks ago I purchase an off peak tickets because I was going to board after 9:24am but I was called to work early. The train employee was super quick to charge me the surcharge even after explaining to him I activated ticket by mistake. Horrible customer service. How will I be compensated for my lost half hour that I lost money. My email address is [protected]@ymail.com. Hope to hear from anyone soon.

Good morning: I would like to bring to your attention a disturbing circumstance in which one of your LIRR conductors subjected my 80 year old father to years ago. He has now passed but this act has disgusted me all of these years. He would have been 103 recently. With that said at the time he had a condition requiring him to go to the restroom often. He found himself in such a circumstance and was stopped by a conductor when trying to pass through the cars on a moving train. Given these are not your “rules” - this happens all day everyday even by conductors themselves. My father ended up peeing his pants and I blame your unforgiving system for allowing this to happen. I am rightfully and forever will be disgusted by the personnel you had hired to make such a judgement call.

I had an extremely bad experience with a very disturbed and disrespectful dangerous employee of yours. He is a danger to the lirr

(conductor 6842) is to uphold the safety and consideration. While performing his duty as upholding, the rules and laws of the LIRR system. The situation that occurred in detail on July. 20th 2023 at approximately 3:00 PM conductor 6842. Approached me after passing a half a car of passengers and asked me for some reason for my ticket. I said sir I apologize I am only running one stop and I did not have time to get my ticket from the machine. I do not have the app . He got in my face 4 inches width of my hand and continued to lecture me on the procedure. I was respectful and said hi. Apologize, sir next time I will make sure I get the ticket. He continues starting a problem with me , and got even closer 3 inches approximately. From my face. He then.

Went on to ask me why I didn’t have a ticket again starting to harass me. I’ve asked him to please step away from me for my own safety. I then showed him my EBT card to let him know that it would be $1.50 instead of the nine dollars he was lecturing me one stop would cost .he then proceeded to harass and agreed me, and say “ that you are a disgrace that you have an EBT card, and I will have a better job than you will ever”

He did this in front of a whole pack group of people in the car. He has the rest of the people looking, nervous, getting up out of their seat, and I asked him to please stop and get out of my face again because he is lying about the facts of the real payment that it will be an harassing me while degrading me about my situation, and he has no right to. In his position as a conductor, I asked him to please go back and be a conductor. The people were getting nervous. He then threaten me and said he was lock me in here. If I was the only one getting out, he is a danger to the community that rise the LIRR, and as well, a risk to having a problem that can arise from his unneeded unnecessary and undesired way of trying to start a situation that was unnecessary. The people came up to me after and said that he is wrong and they were a shame that they were on that ride and had to listen to a grown man.( Conductor 6842.)

Sound like a person that is degrading another human being, for no reason I will go higher than this complaint file. If there is no response to my complaint, there will be rectification to this horrible disrespectful, and again, dangerous employee that LIRR must not realize the man he had turned into.

I witnessed the doors closing on an elderly passenger this morning, which resulted in her being smashed in the head, her arm getting caught and then flipping her violently onto the ground. I left Bayshore on the 8:08 and was making the connecting train to Penn at Babylon station when this incident occurred right in front of me.

In addition, multiple passengers were nearly prevented from making it onto the train before the doors closed. No conductor looked out onto the platform before closing the doors. Complete and utter negligence.

The woman was on the ground, dazed and holding her head. If she didn't break her hip it will be a miracle. I told the conductor to call an ambulance. They asked her if she wanted to get up, without even offering a hand. I told them NOT to move her, and one of them told me to calm down. Really? I saw ZERO compassion there today. ZERO.

I've mentioned before the 7:04am and 7:37am Tuesday - Thursdays trains from Bayside to Grand Central keep increasing in number of passengers which means no seats available by the time the train arrives. I have complained in the past and I have moved around different cars to no avail. If you want people to regular use and pay for your service either add another slot between 7-8am M-F or add more cars to the existing 10 which is far from sufficient. Today an older lady was losing her balance standing up twice. Pretty annoying to be paying fares and taxes and have to stand all the time.

At least the Grand Central terminal is well maintained.

Thanks

Pat

Last few weekends service from 5:24 am Huntington transfer to Penn at Jamaica is always problematic because of connection at Jamaica.. Today 6:10 to Penn from Jamaica was canceled leaving many first responders to be late to work. Last weekend a few weeks ago I missed transfer because train got in late. Many first responders like myself depend to get to work for a 7 am start time on the weekend. This is outrageous.

This morning on the train west from Huntington to Grand Central (it is Sunday July 2, 2023. 9:27 am the next station is new Hyde park.) conductor 7712 asked me for my ticket. While I was getting my ticket out, he went into the next car. I went to the next car and showed him my ticket. Then he came back into my car and asked for my ticket again. I asked for his badge number. He approached me in a threatening manner twice.

Lirr does not print anymore schedules. I went to penn station today monday june 26 by 1:00 pm. The employee at the customer services window did not help me to find a schedule of trains to nassau blvd. Station. We do not need [censored] emplotees who go there only to collect a salary. How do you allow them to be like that?

We do not need [censored] emplotees who go there only to collect a salary. How do you allow them to be like that?

Train #7680 destined towards Farmingdale, at 4:40pm on June 16, 2001 upon entering the train I was met with a very rude ticket clerk that was threatening me over having a bike on a "peak" train despite it being only at 20% capacity. If he had asked nicely for me to remove the bike it would've been fine but he had put on this whiny attitude and proceeded to try and argue over me with what I was told by Lirr employees at the Penn Station Lirr station. He then threatened me saying he would call the police over me defending my decision to bring a bicycle aboard a 20% at capacity "peak" train. I got off at Jamaica and spoke with some officers who advised me that the clerk must have some issues as asking someone in a non polite manner to remove a bike would instead attract an argument then a proper conversation. Total waste of police resources over a ticket clerk having an ego moment.

On the 2nd June a train from JFK airport to Inwood was involved in an accident when it hit the yellow bus with children as the bus was crossing the rail track.

Since we were out of platform we were not allowed to leave the train whilst we await the arrival of policemen and ambulances.

The wait was about three hours. I fell sick since my time to eat and take my medics lapsed and there was no help. I asked for water from the train guards and their gave me water. After drinking the water I fell very sick. Upon investigation of the water I have just dranked. low and behold the water was long expired in 2022. After three hours the train moved to the next station where its journey was suspended and we all alighted the train and I had to seek urgent medical attention. I have in and out hospitals and my Doctor has fingured the expired water.

Good Afternoon LIRR,

I have made complaints in the past and I get these answers and nothing was done. It seems LIRR is more concern with money and it’s disgusting. We all need money to live on this earth but it shouldn’t be the main focus. The Hempstead line has a switch that needs to be flicked before the train fully pulls in. I don’t know why I’m 2023 this issue isn’t fixed. Then it’s like a joke when they need to coordinate this. It can take one minute to 10 minutes at times. They will stand around talking and I don’t think it’s fair that I have to wait for this nonsense. Something needs to be done to address this issue

On June 7 at around 620pm at Jamaica, Long Island, rail Road station, there was a lady customer service agent that is not in the booth that is outside the booth who helps people buy tickets or with Directions and at the moment she was talking to another individual about boarding the train and needing a ticket I said excuse me I have a ticket if anyone needs it and I was giving it to her because I had an extra ticket she put both her hands up as if I was assaulting her or saying, something inappropriate to her and told me no ma’am, no ma’am, and then I looked at the individual who she was helping That I was going to ask him and he needed ONE she said to him no “that’s not even the train you getting on anyway and with both her hand up still as if im trying to assault her or as if I was dirty! THEN I says to to her her no problem MS I will throw the ticket away. She says you can do whatever you wanna do, ma’am it’s your ticket. WITH a RUDE VOICE I felt very insulted as if I was attacking this woman and how she put both of her hands up as If I was doing something

Inappropriate to her she could’ve just said to me if this is the case, because I don’t know, I do not work for the long arrow Ma’am, we cannot take any tickets from passengers if you did not use it no thank you but instead she put both of her hands up, as if I was doing something inappropriate to her, or making her feel on comfortable. This made me feel very uncomfortable and embarrassed how she went about the situation. I was just trying to be a good Samaritan. I am a nypd employee I never felt more in embarrassed in my life

The new schedule changes are horrible. First of all the advertisement regarding faster train times is inaccurate. I missed my 6:24 pm train on hempstead line (mind you I had to run from track12 to track 8 as train was in station) only to stand there praying for the doors to open again but the train pulled out. The next train is not until 7:00 pm! So instead of shorter wait times at jamaica station as prior when I would catch a connecting train, I am waiting 30 minutes every time I miss my train! I get home later and have to leave earlier to get to work. The crowded trains and platforms are ridiculous, it's like taking the subway, which my monthly ticket is too expensive for! This was not thought out well and I hope a better plan is on the way. People running for their train is simply outrageous, the crowding is outrageous, the advertisement touting shorter wait times and faster service is a falsehood! Do better mta!

Dear MTA Customer Service,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my deep disappointment and concern regarding the unprofessional behavior displayed by two of your employees at one of your ticket booths today. The incident left me feeling upset, disrespected, and questioning the quality of service provided by the MTA.

Upon arriving at the ticket booth, I noticed that an employee placed a sign stating that one of the windows was closed. The sign was not there before I got on line. As I proceeded to the other window to purchase a city ticket to Jamaica, I encountered an employee who initially hesitated to sell me the ticket. She informed me that there was only one more off-peak train departing to Jamaica and expressed doubts about whether I would make it in time. I politely explained that the last train was scheduled to leave in six minutes, specifically the 4:04pm train to Hempstead, which was conveniently close to the ticket booth. However, instead of considering my explanation, she interrupted me and displayed a hostile attitude throughout our interaction.

As a customer, I found this behavior to be highly unprofessional and unwarranted. I always strive to treat service personnel with respect and courtesy, but I believe it is equally important to receive the same level of professionalism in return. Unfortunately, this was not the case during my recent encounter, and I am deeply disappointed by the employee's conduct.

Furthermore, I would like to address the issue of my device being blocked. While I understand the importance of ticket activation before boarding the train, I would like to highlight that I have been a regular user of the MTA services, frequently purchasing tickets on my phone. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I sometimes find myself rushing to the train platform, which results in activating my ticket after the train has already departed. Blocking my device seems excessive, especially considering the frequency with which I purchase tickets (approximately 20 tickets biweekly).

The incident with the employee at the ticket booth could have been avoided if my device had not been blocked. By preventing me from signing in and accessing the remaining pre-purchased peak tickets on my account or purchasing a city ticket, the situation was exacerbated, leading to unnecessary frustration and a negative experience.

I kindly request that you take appropriate action regarding this matter. It is my hope that the MTA places emphasis on training employees in customer service skills, ensuring that incidents like this do not occur in the future. Additionally, I would appreciate it if you could reconsider the blocking of my device, taking into account my previous purchasing history and understanding that sometimes passengers make it onto the train(s) with seconds to spare.

I believe that by addressing these concerns, the MTA can maintain a high standard of customer service and improve the overall experience for passengers. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Amiri Anderson