MTA Chairman Janno Leiber and LIRR President Catherine Renaldi claim that as of Monday, February 27th, the Elmont-UBS Arena station has become a full time station with service 365 days a year, eliminating the need for many to transfer at Jamaica. No longer needing to change at Jamaica depends upon which branch riders are arriving from. . Hempstead branch trains will stop full time . Huntington and Ronkonkoma branch trains be less frequent. They will only stop weekday evenings (coinciding with UBS Arena events) and frequently on weekends. Babylon, Speonk, West Hempstead, Long Beach, Far Rockaway and Oyster Bay branch riders will continue having to change at Jamaica. Port Jefferson branch riders will have to change at Huntington or Jamaica. The Atlantic Brooklyn branch became a shuttle service operating between Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn and Jamaica. Riders on this line will also have to change at Jamaica. Most Port Washington branch riders will have an additional second transfer at Woodside before arriving at Jamaica. So much for truth in advertising by the MTA & LIRR.
Sincerely,
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.