There is really no reason to join MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and Acting LIRR President Richard Davey in celebrating their recent announcement of reaching 95% on-time performance. They sounded like revisionist transit historians.
Here is what they neglected to mention. Claiming that on-time performance is improving was misleading. Any train arriving within 100 feet of a Penn Station, Grand Central Madison or Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn Platform, within 5 minutes and 59 seconds is considered “on time.” For many LIRR commuters who have to arrive on time, their bosses would not be happy. The LIRR definition of “on time” is like a teacher giving students a passing grade by rigging the results.
When it comes to reaching a real 100%, on-ime performance, the 1960’s LIRR motto “Line of the Dashing Dan” should be changed to “Line of the Slow Moving Sloth.”
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management.
