LIRRCC Statement on the Report by New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, The Long Island Rail Road: On-Time Performance by the Numbers
The Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council (LIRRCC) would like to thank New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli for his thorough report detailing the LIRR’s on-time performance (OTP) in 2016.
We agree that OTP does not capture the rider experience and have advocated for more inclusive reporting for some time. In 2011, the LIRRCC produced a report titled “Minutes Matter,” which emphasized the need to accurately capture the rider experience when delays occur. Performance must be evaluated from the point of view of the rider, as there has been a considerable increase in delays over the past five years as detailed by the report.
The Office of the New York State Comptroller highlights that estimated rider delays are underrepresented because reported delays do not include canceled or terminated trains. “What is not captured is the full impact of these late and canceled trains on the rider,” said LIRRCC Chair Mark Epstein. “A missed connection means riders are not on time to work even if the original train made up time and was on time at the end. A passenger-based metric would allow the LIRR to relate delays to lost economic value and to link performance improvements to an analysis of costs and benefits”
Download here: 17-06 LIRRCC NYS Comptroller Report LIRR