LIRR’s new schedule to Grand Central Madison means changes for Brooklyn

By Brooklyn Magazine Staff

The Long Island Rail Road’s revamped schedule is good for Manhattan, but it’s ruffled some Brooklynites’ feathers.

A new timetable has been unveiled this week for the opening of Grand Central Madison, a sparkly new station that’s been in the making for quarter of a century. It’s good news for Manhattan residents as there will be more train service to Long Island, not to mention an alternative to Penn Station.

But’s it’s less than ideal for Brooklyn riders who enjoy not having an inconvenient transfer on their way to Long Island. Beginning February 27, trains to Atlantic Terminal will become a shuttle to Jamaica with all trains now stopping at Nostrand Avenue and East New York.

The LIRR said frequency will increase 30 percent, which is good if you’re using the AirTrain to JFK, however it’s coming at the expense at onward connections: Service from Brooklyn to Long Island is being reduced, with only “some trains” running to and from Freeport, Hempstead, or West Hempstead.

Now, “most” Brooklyn trains will only use Track 11 and Track 12 at Jamaica, meaning that riders will have to use the escalators to go to Long Island-bound trains on the other tracks (1 through 8) rather than just walking across the platform as before.

Reaction to the agency’s labeling our portion of the LIRR becoming a de facto shuttle were less than enthusiastic.

“If this ‘shuttle’ is going to be the norm, then why not integrate Brooklyn LIRR service into the subway system? Transit could institute fare control and use the same rolling stock. Higher ridership and lower overall costs would be the result,” tweeted a rider.

Another rider said that it was “absurd” that the LIRR is going to charge “more than a MetroCard swipe for this ‘service.'”

In response to the schedule, the LIRR is telling pissed-off riders on Twitter that the “new schedules are designed to provide customers with robust options to both Grand Central and Penn Station.”

“But we hear you: We’re going to monitor ridership trends and train performance as we roll out this new service,” it added.