LIRR revives getaway packages just in time for summer
It’s our mission to make sure
things run smoothly in every circumstance
so riding the rails is an
enjoyable experience. We want you
to keep you coming back, especially
as Long Island continues to recover
from the pandemic.
That’s why we’ve revived our
popular LIRR Getaways packages
this summer after the program went
on pause last year. Customers can
revisit favorite local destinations
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JULY 16-JULY 22, 2021 13
OP-ED
BY PHIL ENG
Summertime on Long Island is
like no other, in good weather and in
bad. Last week, our incredible LIRR
workforce saw the region through
our worst storm yet of the season,
Tropical Storm Elsa. Our crews
braved the elements and stepped up
once again while working tirelessly
to provide safe train service despite
the torrential rain and high winds.
Safety is and will always be our top
priority.
Preparing for storms like Elsa
is a team effort that starts well before
the first rain drops even fall.
The day it hit, on Thursday, we
pre-positioned crews and diesel locomotives
across the system to help
minimize service disruptions. But
there’s so much more that goes into
our weather planning – like the aggressive
steps we’ve taken to protect
infrastructure, strengthen and replace
utility poles and tackle poor
drainage locations. We also regularly
trim trees and branches adjacent
to our tracks to prevent them from
falling during storms.
LAST WEEK’S TOP STORY:
New York Hall of Science’s new exhibit invites visitors
to explore the meaning of happiness
SUMMARY: “The Happiness Experiment,” a new exhibit in the
New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park,
delves into the neuroscience and social science of happiness and
invites visitors to explore what happiness means.
like Long Beach, Jones Beach, and
Fire Island (via Bay Shore and Patchogue),
or join us for something
new: a day-long guided brewery
crawl across the South Shore.
On two Saturdays this summer,
July 31 and August 21, you can experience
beer tastings at Sand City
Brewing Co. in Lindenhurst, followed
by a bus trip to Bay Shore
for another round at Great South
Bay. Our tour ends in the Village of
Patchogue, where you can patronize
local restaurants and shops.
Each ticket costs $63 (adults only,
of course), and includes round-trip
rail, private bus transportation, and
both tastings.
Visit new.mta.info/daytrips for
full details on this and all the discount
packages we offer.
What I truly love about these offers
is that they highlight what Long
Island is all about – getting together
and enjoying all the great businesses
and beauty we have in our own
backyard. There are so many great
spots located within walking distance
of our 124 railroad stations,
making each journey to a new town
an adventure.
We’re prouder than ever to support
the region’s economy while
helping customers get to all the
amazing destinations across Long
Island and New York City. I’m grateful
to the LIRR workforce who continue
to show up day in and day
out, as they have during the entire
pandemic, to keep New York moving.
It’s because of their hard work
we’re able to provide a record level
of service more safely and reliably
than ever.
If you take a look out the window
while you’re on one of our trains,
you’ll see we’re doing this with major
construction going on across our
system as we build a better, more
robust network that will truly give
Long Island the public transportation
it needs to thrive. With Mainline
Expansion and East Side Access
completion on the horizon, the
future is bright.
Phil Eng is president of the Long
Island Rail Road.
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