Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip, joined with Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jen DeSena, MTA President Catherine Rinaldi, and other local elected officials to declare victory in their push to get the LIRR to not eliminate Express Train service from the Great Neck peninsula.
reviously, the LIRR and MTA were considering eliminated six rush hour express trains on the Port Washington branch of the LIRR, due to the new schedule at the Grand Central Madison East Side access project. At a press conference in July featuring numerous elected officials and residents, Legislator Pilip urged the MTA to abandon their plans to eliminate the trains, which have been running on the Port Washington line for over 100 years. She stressed that the only alternative to these trains is driving, where commuters will have to spend money on gas, tolls and parking, spend time in traffic, and eventually must deal with the upcoming “congestion pricing” commuter tax.
At the September 28th press conference, MTA President Rinaldi announced that the LIRR will maintain the three morning rush and three evening rush trains along the Port Washington branch that services Great Neck, Manhasset, Plandome and Port Washington.
“Thank you to all the residents, mayors, community leaders, elected officials and clergy of all faiths who joined together to make sure the MTA did not eliminate the express trains in the Great Neck and Port Washington peninsulas,” Legislator Pilip said. “From signing my petitions, to attending public hearings, everyone put their all into this cause and we got results. Because of our teamwork, we were able to save the express trains and make sure the Great Neck and Port Washington peninsulas were not left out of the new Grand Central Madison development.”