LIRR makes more adjustments to schedule after lower Grand Central demand than anticipated
MIDTOWN (WABC) -- More service changes for the Long Island Rail Road take effect on Monday after the demand for service to Grand Central Madison was apparently lower than anticipated.
It's all because of the massive schedule changes that took effect after they opened service to the terminal.
There have been packed trains and platforms in the first couple of weeks since Grand Central Madison opened.
A major issue is that the railroad is now running hundreds more trains through the already busy Jamaica station.
At rush hour, these trains are literally moving through the station back to back.
It is leaving very little room for error if there's a disabled train, for example.
There's the possibility that increased congestion may lead to cascading delays.
But, the LIRR's Interim President Catherine Rinaldi says the situation is getting better.
"I've been to Jamaica every day for two weeks. It is not falling apart every day. It's been better every day than the day before. It is improving every day because of the dispatching and train routing, because our customers are getting more accustomed to the service, because we're eliminating up and over transfers. Passenger flow is getting better. Are we going to have a bad day? Absolutely," Rinaldi said.
Starting Monday, the railroad is moving four trains from Grand Central back to Penn Station.
They're also adding stops on the Ronkonkoma branch and once again lengthening some trains.
Officials say they are monitoring conditions every day and making changes as needed.
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