LIRR announces planned schedule changes; possible strike looms Saturday

The Long Island Rail Road's planned schedule adjustments will go into effect Monday, less than a week away from a possible strike.

The changes to the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches, as well as to Greenport and New York City service, were pre-planned.

"These schedule adjustments also allow us to continue critical maintenance and accessibility work so we can deliver safe, reliable service," LIRR President Rob Free said in a statement.

The changes will not impact rush hour service, according to the LIRR.

On the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches, there will be a new weekday train leaving Farmingdale at 4:32 a.m., with stops at Bethpage, Hicksville, Westbury, Mineola, New Hyde Park and Jamaica, before arriving at Penn Station at 5:26 a.m.

In addition, the 4:12 a.m. train from Ronkonkoma will now depart at 4:14 a.m. It will not stop at Farmingdale, Bethpage, Hicksville or Mineola.

In Westbury, midday weekday service will resume every 30 minutes following the completion of track work.

Elsewhere, midday weekday service east of Ronkonkoma is back, and in New York City, weekday evening service between Jamaica and Atlanta Terminal will be scaled back to every 30 minutes, starting at 9 p.m. for westbound trains and 10 p.m. for eastbound trains.

The changes come after more than 400 LIRR union workers and supporters staged a protest Saturday at the Massapequa train station, threatening to strike.

The strike, which would start May 16, would be the railroad's first in 30 years.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Tim Minton on Saturday dubbed the Massapequa gathering "the first-ever 'Rally for a Fare Hike,' " adding that the unions' proposed raises would force the agency to raise ticket prices.

Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, told those attending the rally Saturday that "this fight is about dignity. It's about respect. And it's about protecting the standard of living of hard working railroad families."

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.