MTA Orders LIRR Orderly Shutdown If Strike Starts at 12:01 a.m. Saturday

Long Island Rail Road commuters faced a potential shutdown as a strike deadline approached at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, with the MTA warning it would implement an orderly shutdown if the work stoppage began.

“The MTA has posted the schedule of the last LIRR trains to run in the event of a strike at midnight/ The agency said it will implement an orderly shutdown in the event of a strike "If the strike does happen at 12:01 am, LIRR trains that are in service before midnight on Friday, May 15 will continue to their final destination”

ABC7 New York

ABC7 New York said the agency posted the schedule of the last LIRR trains to run and that if the strike does happen at 12:01 am, LIRR trains that are in service before midnight on Friday, May 15 will continue to their final destination.

ABC7 New York

FOX 5 New York reported that LIRR President Robert Free said during an earlier press conference, "We don't want any passengers getting stranded on our trains."

FOX 5 New York also framed the stakes as travel disruption for 300,000 daily commuters, while News 12 Long Island said the shutdown would cause severe road congestion and delays to the nearly 300,000 daily passengers.

As negotiations continued, Gov. Kathy Hochul warned Long Islanders to plan to work from home if the train service shuts down for a strike, saying during a news conference at Jones Beach that the buses "will not be able to replace full Long Island Rail Road service."

Hochul also told riders, "This is about putting their needs first," while CBS News described the MTA’s plan to keep trains already running at midnight moving to their final destinations.

Associated Press

News 12 Long Island said the MTA released a contingency plan and that it is advised to check current station alerts on the Long Island Rail Road website.

In the bargaining backdrop, FOX 5 New York said five LIRR unions want a 5% increase in the fourth year of the contract proposal, while the MTA is offering a 3% increase and additional lump sum payments to bring the actual total up to 4.5%.

The MTA’s contingency plan centered on limited shuttle bus service during peak hours, with ABC7 New York saying the buses have the capacity to transport about 13,000 riders from east to the city and would drop off at bus locations in Queens with signs and MTA staff to assist customers.

“North America’s largest commuter rail system faces a potential shutdown North America’s largest commuter rail system faces a potential shutdown NEW YORK (AP) — New York City and its suburbs are bracing for a possible strike by workers on the Long Island Rail Road, the busiest commuter rail system in North America”

Associated Press

News 12 Long Island said the buses would run during peak hours toward Manhattan from 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and to Long Island from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and it listed six spots for routes between Long Island stations and Queens subway transfer points.

FOX 5 New York added that commuters could be dropped off either in Jamaica or the Howard Beach JFK Airport stop, then take a subway into Manhattan, while News 12 Long Island said the shuttle‑bus backup plan could add an hour to commutes.

Long Island Business News reported that the strike could impact as many as 300,000 commuters a day and quoted Stacey Sikes, acting president and CEO of the Long Island Association, saying, "A strike – which would impact the millions of workers, customers, and visitors who rely on it each week – would be devastating to the region’s economy," as contract talks continued.