(rshsdepot) MTA Is Correcting Its Neglect of New York City LIRR Stations

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

MTA Is Correcting Its Neglect of City LIRR Stations

April 14, 2003 - Newsday Editorial

Maintaining the Long Island Rail Road's stations in New York City always
seemed to be an afterthought for the state Metropolitan Transportation
Authority. Commuters will recall not too many years ago when several of the
city's LIRR stations, particularly in Queens, routinely showed up in the
annual hazardous-conditions audit.

No more, judging by the latest city comptroller's audit, which found unsafe
conditions at only one of the 26 stations. The city is right to demand the
strictest of maintenance standards from MTA officials, who deserve credit
for moving aggressively to eliminate the hazards.

The one station that failed this year's inspection - Murray Hill - has
perennially had problems, such as cracked and crumbling concrete on the
platforms. The station is partly below ground level, which makes corrections
difficult.

But now that the MTA and its LIRR subsidiary have fixed the other stations,
it's time to do whatever it takes to get the Murray Hill station off the
comptroller's worst-station list.

Officials were slow to allocate the millions of dollars needed to make city
LIRR commuters as comfortable as their Long Island counterparts. But once
the MTA caught up with other complaints, it got busy helping city riders -
as it should have all along.

New York City paid MTA officials nearly $67 million last year for
maintenance, though the heaviest lifting comes out of the MTA's own capital
budget. The agency spent nearly $2 million to renovate the Broadway station
in Auburndale and $5 million on another Auburndale station. Neither one was
cited in this year's audit.

The MTA should have never allowed the LIRR stations in the city to
deteriorate. And to have to be pressured by an audit to fix them didn't
speak well of the agency's commitment to city commuters. But now that the
railroad has recovered some good will, there's only way to keep it: Never
let the stations become derelict again. Oh, and fix Murray Hill.


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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