LIRR Rate Increase in Full Effect

Just days after the debacle of this past weekend's snow storm that left thousands stranded with no means of returning home to Long Island, the MTA hit their riders where it really hurt: in their wallets.

The 287,000-plus weekly Long Island Rail Road passangers will see a fare hike between 7.6 and 9.4 percent, depending on the type of ticket purchased, and the destination. The ticket increases began Thursday at 2 a.m., just in time for New Year's Eve travelers Friday.

The MTA attributes the rate increases to help limit the $900 million budget gap, something riders take issue with.

Ean Ferrell, who has been riding the train daily for seven years since moving to his home in Mastic, isn't pleased. "I'm not satisfied with it," he said on the platform waiting for his 1:10 p.m. train to Penn Station to pull into Ronkonkoma. "The service has not changed, the quality of the upkeep is not up to par. We still have trains with broken bathrooms, and 30 year old trains which conductors are saying are unsafe. It isn't fair."

Travis Cherry, from Mannorville, believed that the prices were already too high. "I think they were already pretty expensive," he said. "An increase makes it even worse."

Like Ferrel, Cherry believes the trains and trip durations have stayed uniform, so it is hard to take a increase in stride.

"It doesn't really make sense if you ask me," Cherry continued. "If there was a reason for the raise in price it could be justified. The bathrooms are never cleaned or anything like that."

In a story that appeared on Huntington Patch, Jason Liebowitz tweeted, "Just received my monthly invoice. LIRR are you kidding me?! 15% more a month and half as many trains?!! What kind of math is that?!"

Sachem residents who take the Ronkonkoma line to-and-from Penn Station will see the some of the biggest fare increases due to the length of the trip. Under the new rates, riders will be paying $334. for a monthly ticket. A weekly pass will run you $107. One-way tickets increasing to $16.25 on-peak and $11.75 off-peak when purchased from a teller or ticket machine. For those buying on-board, a one-way peak ticket will cost $22, with an off-peak costing $18.

A complete list of fare increases and service changes can be found on the MTA website.