LIRR Labor Strike Means Longer Commutes, Messy Alternatives

Long Island Rail Road riders are bracing for hourslong commutes as a salary fight between the nation’s busiest commuter rail line and its employees forced a systemwide shutdown, the first in more than 30 years.

LIRR customers are now scrambling for alternative ways to get to and from New York City and throughout Long Island after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and union leaders failed to reach a deal by a late Friday night deadline after two days of marathon contract negotiations. The MTA is a state agency that runs the city’s subways and buses, as well as the LIRR and Metro-North commuter lines.