Senator Martins: Lirr Strike Contingency Plan Fails North Hempstead Residents

     Following news that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) LIRR preliminary strike contingency plan for commuters contains not one shuttle bus/park & ride lot in the Town of North Hempstead, Senator Jack M. Martins (R-Mineola) is demanding that MTA revise its plan. 

     In a letter to MTA Chairman & CEO Thomas Prendergast, Senator Martins called on the MTA to amend the plan “so that the over 220,000 residents in the Town of North Hempstead are not excluded.” Senator Martins noted that ridership on the Port Washington branch grew by over 350,000 last year, and that Mineola and Great Neck are two of the LIRR’s busiest stations.

     “Not having even one point in the entire 58 square miles of the Town of North Hempstead is completely unacceptable,” Senator Martins said. “Suggesting to commuters that they should stay home in the event of a strike is an insult and does not constitute a real plan.”