LIRR: How much has changed since 1969?

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The Long Island Railroad says it has made a lot of improvements over the past five decades. But regular riders might disagree with that. The complaints of today's commuters echo the gripes of yesteryear.

An old newspaper shows that on this day 1969, black and white TV sets were still a thing, muscle cars were still a thing. "True Grit" was the original "True Grit," not some shiny remake. And the central exposé was on the LIRR.

Sparked by a statement from then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller that it was to be the best rail line in the country, when some didn't even want to call it the best rail line on Long Island. And yes, it's the only one.

Myrna Reteggi was one of the commuters featured in the Daily News coverage in 1969. We tracked her down exactly 47 years to the day later, to see if she thinks things have changed.

70,000 more people ride the LIRR today than back in 1969. We checked in with a few to see if the old statements pass for today.

Even the air shelter reference passed for something an LIRR rider would say today. And that's for up to more than $20 a ride. In 1969, a subway ride was 30 cents.

If it bores you when things stay the same, and you're into progress, the newspaper from this day in 1969 has something for you. While riders and say things stayed the same compared with then, the Mets were still in the playoffs.