LIRR launches PPE vending machines at Penn Station

The Long Island Rail Road announced Thursday that it has converted two vending machines at two locations inside of Penn Station to allow customers to buy personal protective equipment to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

Customers will be able to buy KN95 masks, bottled hand sanitizer and gloves from the machines, which are located on the 7th Avenue side of Penn Station near the LIRR waiting room and the 8th Avenue side by the exit concourse.

Free masks and hand sanitizers are still being distributed at stations and on trains for any rider in need.

 So far, the MTA has distributed 2.2 million masks to customers on subways, buses, and railroads, along with 750,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. Masks are also stored on all trains in the event that a person boards without one. 

“We're doing everything we can to make sure that our customers feel safe as we fight this ongoing pandemic, continuously building on our aggressive cleaning efforts and other measures,” said Phillip Eng, President of the Long Island Rail Road. “These PPE vending machines are another way to assist our riders who may have lost or forgotten their masks. By wearing masks, and using our LIRR TrainTime app, that lets them know where they can find more space on a train, customers can be armed with the protection and information they need for a safe ride.”

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Products inside the machines range in cost from a single-use hand sanitizer for $0.75 to premium KN95 masks for $9.99.

In the coming weeks, customers will also be able to find PPE vending machines at the following LIRR locations:

  • Atlantic Terminal
  • Hicksville
  • Ronkonkoma

Thursday’s announcement follows the Metro-North Railroad announcing that it was putting PPE vending machines at 12 different stations throughout its system.