Officials call for repairs at 'dangerous' LIRR station

Calls for improvements to Valley Stream LIRR station

Officials and commuters are complaining about the Valley Stream Long Island Rail Road station, which they say is full of crumbling concrete, rusting rebar and peeling paint.

NEW YORK - Crumbling concrete, rusting rebar and peeling paint are just some of what commuters at the Valley Stream Long Island Rail Road station are met with each morning.

For years there have been calls to get what officials say is believed to be one of the largest and busiest stations back on track claiming it has fallen into dangerous disrepair.

"You have leaky roofs, you’ve got concrete falling on people, bathrooms that aren’t clean," said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. "It’s enough, we’re not going to take it anymore."

And with congestion pricing possibly costing drivers $23 to get into Manhattan, officials say a push for more people to use the train is even more of a reason for change.

"We’ve been asking the MTA for twelve years," said Valley Stream mayor Ed Fare. "Every year for twelve years, they tell me the money is coming and improvement is coming and it never has."

Officials with the LIRR tell FOX 5 they inspect all stations on a regular basis and all parts of Valley Stream station are safe and structurally sound. The platform waiting rooms at the station were redone last year and replacing elevators and escalators is next on the list.

"The platform concrete is starting to wear away, the elevators can be fixed," said one commuter. "The escalator is out of order half the time," said another.

The escalator was working while we were there, garbage was being emptied and station cleaning was underway. While some people we spoke with say it’s still not enough, others don’t mind as long as trains are on time.