New LIRR president goes on listening tour

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - The new president of the MTA's Long Island Rail Road will be traveling to major transit hubs to talk to commuters about their concerns.

Philip Eng's visit to the Mineola train station on Tuesday was far from smooth. He shook hands with commuters and talked to them about improving service just as Amtrak switch problems at Penn Station caused a number of delays and cancellations.

Officials and frustrated commuters have been demanding better service. In January, the LIRR had its worst on-time performance for that month in more than two decades. A recent report showed the LIRR in 2017 had the lowest number of on-time trains in 18 years.

"We want to do a better job of letting our riders know that their commute is important to them," Eng said. "And the information to them is powerful because it allows them to make a decision and be able to plan."

Eng, a Smithtown resident, said he is a daily LIRR rider and understands no one knows the railroad the way customers do. He told Fox 5 that many riders he spoke to Tuesday morning complained about the lack of communication. He said the railroad needs to work on communicating timely and accurate information to riders.

Later Tuesday, Eng traveled to Penn Station to speak with evening commuters.

On Wednesday, he will host meet-and-greets at the Ronkonkoma train station and then at Atlantic Terminal.