Improved! - The Customer Email Notification System
The MTA and the LIRR have launched a more robust email and text messaging system that will notify registered customers of service disruptions at any of the MTA's family of transportation agencies, including the LIRR. The new system will allow the LIRR to send out email alerts more frequently and to more customers without capacity concerns.
The email alert system is supported by the LIRR's newly established Public Information Office, staffed around the clock by information specialists whose goal is to provide accurate and timely information to our customers.
Using our website, you can register to receive alerts on your cellphone or pda about any combination of subway lines, bus routes, rail lines, bridges or tunnels. You can choose to receive them 24/7, or only during a particular time of day or week.
The system will be able to send out up to a million messages every five minutes. "This is a revolutionary step that has the potential to transform the experience our customers have with us," said Elliot G. Sander, the Executive Director and CEO of the MTA. "If you know about a service disruption before you leave your home, or now, even as you are making your way to a subway or rail station or a bus stop, you can avoid the frustration of delays by seeking an alternate route."
This initiative builds upon years of experience that we at the LIRR have had in sending email messages notifying customers about service disruptions and/or service changes. Existing LIRR email customers must sign up for the new system in order to keep receiving emails about service disruptions.

Holiday & Holiday Eve Trains
There will be thirteen extra afternoon trains from Penn Station on Wednesday, December 24 for those leaving work early for the Christmas holidays. The Railroad will operate on a holiday schedule on Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, returning to a regular weekday schedule on Friday, December 26.
On Wednesday, December 31, there will be thirteen additional afternoon trains from Penn Station to serve those who are leaving early for the New Year's holiday. There will also be additional eastbound and westbound train service to and from Penn Station for New Year's Eve festivities on December 31 and early January 1.
The LIRR will operate on a holiday schedule on New Year's Day, Thursday, January 1. Off-peak fares will be in effect all day December 25/26 and January 1/2.


New Timetables Reflect
Extra Holiday Service The new schedules that take effect on Monday, December 15 are available in terminals and stations around the system, as well as on the Railroad's website. These timetables have been issued to highlight the extra trains for the holiday season. Consult our website - or call the 24-hour Travel Information Center at 631-231-LIRR, 516-822-LIRR or 718-217-LIRR for full details.

Late Letters
Did you know that we will fax or email a "Late Letter" to you if your train has been delayed? If you get to work late because of train delays, you can request a note through our Customer Email System, from Customer Service personnel at Penn Station and Flatbush Avenue, or through our Public Affairs Office. You can access our Customer Email System from our home page where you'll click on the FAQ/Contact Us button on the left side of the page. Customer Service personnel at Penn or Flatbush will give you a form that includes your train, its expected arrival time and its actual arrival time ... while the Public Affairs Office will research your delay and write a brief letter explaining it. Their response will then either be faxed or emailed to you ... often on the same day.
So if your office needs to know why you were late ... we'll be glad to provide you with the details of your delay.

Winter Travel Tips
Winter officially arrives on Monday, December 22 ... and when the storms of winter start showing up, the Railroad may have to make some adjustments to schedules and staffing. We'll make service decisions based on our expectations of the storm's severity and how such storms have impacted our track, signal, and power systems in the past. Customers who are making decisions about traveling when these conditions exist are advised to listen to traffic reports on radio and television, check our website for Weather Alerts, and/or call our 24-hour Travel Information Center for the latest service information.

2008 Boat Show
It will be sailing into town on Saturday, December 13 and will remain in port through Sunday, December 21 at the Jacob K. Javits Center. Discount packages can be purchased at LIRR ticket offices, as well as from the gray and the blue ticket machines. Don't miss the boat!

Parents' Corner Returns
When families are traveling together, and especially during the holidays, parents may find that they have more responsibilities to handle than they have hands to accomplish them. Safety dictates that you hold your child's hand while boarding and exiting the train. Remember, you can always ask for help with your luggage and other items, or go back for them, after you've gotten the young ones safely into their seats.

If you saw yourself
As others do
Would you change your ways
To a better you?
Would you use two seats?
Would you speak so loud?
Push to the front
Of a boarding crowd?
Would you leave your coffee cup
On the floor,
Where it spills and sticks
To shoes and more?
Would you do those things
Or would you wince and say,
"I've got to do better
Starting today."
Be the 'you' that others admire.
Lead and shine ... perhaps inspire.

Monthly OTP
November's OTP came in at 92.62% ... which puts the total On Time Performance for the first 11 months at a record-setting 95.1%.

BRANCH	AM Peak	PM Peak	Off- Peak	Total November 2008	Total November 2007
Babylon	88.2	91.3	92.9	91.8	92.8
Far Rockaway	90.4	95.9	95.9	95.2	97.3
Hicksville/Huntington	88.8	92.9	92.5	92.1	90.0
Hempstead	87.6	95.9	95.0	94.2	95.0
Long Beach	89.9	95.2	94.2	93.7	95.6
Montauk	88.8	87.2	90.4	89.9	91.9
Oyster Bay	90.2	77.2	90.1	88.4	90.0
Port Jefferson	84.2	89.5	86.6	86.7	84.3
Port Washington	94.4	96.7	97.7	97.2	95.7
Greenport/Ronkonkoma	87.1	91.2	89.4	89.2	88.6
West Hempstead	90.5	98.3	97.0	96.4	95.3
TOTAL	89.2	92.5	93.3	92.6	92.7

TrainTalk Archive