LIRR strike could cost New York area $61 million daily, state comptroller says

A Long Island Rail Road strike would cost the metropolitan area’s economy up to $61 million per day, according to an estimate from state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The Democrat from Great Neck Plaza said Friday the financial impact of a work stoppage by LIRR employees, if negotiators could not reach a deal, would be wide-ranging, from lower worker productivity and fewer retail sales to lost tourism dollars.

DiNapoli’s estimate was $9 million lower than that of the Long Island Association business group.

LIA chief economist Steven Kent told Newsday earlier this week that an LIRR strike could rob the metro area’s economy of up to $70 million a day. That estimate was based on DiNapoli’s projection from a 2014 LIRR strike causing a financial loss of up to $50 million daily.

The last work stoppage was in June 1994 and lasted for two days.

"A LIRR strike will be felt far beyond the tracks, triggering the loss of millions of dollars per day in lost economic activity, disrupting thousands of riders and throwing the region’s transit service into chaos and gridlock," DiNapoli said in releasing his 2026 strike fallout estimate.

Business leaders on Long Island concurred, saying the economic fortunes of Nassau and Suffolk counties are tied to that of New York City and the ability of people to easily traverse the region via mass transit.

"Should the Long Island Rail Road cease operations, it will have a devastating impact on our economy," said Kyle Strober, executive director of the developers’ group Association for a Better Long Island.

He and others said an LIRR strike would be bad at any time of the year, but the proximity to Memorial Day, the unofficial start to the summer tourism season, means the financial consequences would be greater.

Nearly half the visitors to the Island come to the South Shore, with many relying on mass transit to get them to Long Beach, Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Parks and Fire Island, according to data from the tourism promotions agency Discover Long Island.

"The comptroller has hit the nail on the head with regard to the dramatic economic negative impact of a strike," said Mitch Pally, interim CEO and president of Discover Long Island. Pally also spent 14 years on the board of the LIRR's parent, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, representing Suffolk County.

"We are obviously concerned," he said. "A work stoppage would take millions of dollars out of the coffers of our businesses and that of the state and the county because they collect sales tax on purchases made by our visitors."

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.