WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 12, 2021 13
Keeping the Long Island Rail Road working for you
BY PHILLIP ENG
Safe, reliable, robust and accessible
to all — those are four main goals
we strive for each day as we carry
hundreds of thousands of people
across New York City and Long Island.
Coming on the heels of the 31st
anniversary of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, we’re celebrating the
third year of our successful LIRR Care
customer service program, which to
date has assisted more than 6,500 riders.
Under this initiative, customers at
three of our busiest hubs (Penn Station,
Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica Station)
can get assistance to board their trains
in real time from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
OP-ED
Those in need simply head to the
Customer Service Offi ce at Penn, or
the Ticket Offi ce at Jamaica or Atlantic
Terminal at least 15 minutes before a
train’s departure time, and an ambassador
provides individualized assistance
with the journey.
Anyone needing help at other stations
can give us a call anytime, 24
hours a day, at 718-574-7227 at least two
hours before a train’s scheduled departure
time with departure details. A
dispatcher will alert the train crew, so
they can place a bridge plate between
the train and the platform to help with
wheelchair boarding or other mobility
needs.
We’re working hard to make our
railroad as inclusive as possible. Three
brand-new elevators recently opened
at Floral Park Station as part of the
LIRR Expansion Project, bringing the
total number of fully accessible LIRR
stations to 108, or 87 percent of our
system.
While we’re proud of this progress,
we’re not stopping there. There are another
16 stations (of the LIRR’s total 124)
that need to be upgraded and outfi tted
with accessibility components, and I’m
committed to closing these gaps and
fulfi lling my promise to make each and
every station accessible to all.
In the meantime, it’s easier than ever
to fi nd an accessible station near you.
The LIRR TrainTime app has a host
of accessibility features and information
available to make trips as easy as
possible. Customers can access elevator
and escalator locations and their
status in real time throughout the
entire system.
And for our visually impaired customers,
we’ve enabled a screen reading
feature, as well as large font support.
The LIRR welcomes all aboard our
trains, and I’m grateful to each and
every one of you who trusts us to get
where you need to go. Long Island
needs a strong railroad to carry us
through recovery from the pandemic,
and it’s only right that everyone should
be able to take part in that revival.
Phillip Eng is president of the MTA
Long Island Rail Road.
SNAPS
SUNSET AT JUNIPER VALLEY PARK
PHOTO BY MARILYN GAINFORT
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