By Hank Russell
During the LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action) meeting at the Candlelight Diner in Commack on June 5, Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free was speaking about the improvements the agency is making to improve service and the ridership experience, when one of the attendees asked him about two reports from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) inspector general (IG).
The first report showed that more than 30 LIRR employees — including seven supervisors — used fake ID cards to swipe in, but never reported to work. The New York Post reported that they also used the scheme to collect overtime they shouldn’t have been paid for. The MTA’s inspector general said the employees “stole countless hours of paid time,” and showed “a widespread lack of ethics and contempt for the timekeeping regulations,” adding that they stole thousands of work hours.
Free said those employees have either been suspended without pay or fired. “Unfortunately, these things happen,” he said. “We do not condone [the employees’ actions].”
Since the incident, the LIRR has “enhanced oversight” of workers clocking in with the use of biometric finger scans.
“I find it very offensive,” Free said of the wage theft scheme. “We issued strong, swift punishment showing that [time theft] will not be tolerated.”
The other report from the MTA IG’s office, as reported by Long Island Life & Politics, a repair shop vendor overbilled the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) by $4.5 million. Even more, the vendor charged the LIRR for $1.6 million in parts they never purchased.
According to the report, the LIRR Vehicle Fleet Management Office and the MTA’s outside contracted Fleet Management Firm — both of whom were charged with reviewing invoices and approving repairs — never sought backup documentation to support the parts that were ordered. They also failed to detect the repair shop’s overbilling, and could not determine whether that overbilling was the result of intentional fraud or poor business practices.
“We stopped doing business with that vendor,” Free said. “We’re working with MTA headquarters to find a new vendor,” He also said there will now be “mechanisms” in place “to scrutinize inventories.”
Free emphasized that the agency has implemented “fiscally responsible” measures that have saved the LIRR $71 million a year. “We’re a state agency, but we try to run [the LIRR] like a business,” he said. “We’re maing sure we’re spending money responsibly.”
In addition to addressing the IG’s reports, he talked about what the LIRR has accomplished and what their future plans are. They are currently working with the Port Authority on working on realigning the tracks at the Jamaica train station, with the goal of making it “a transportation hub, not a train station.”
Renovations are also being done to the Bellerose and Floral Park train stations, including replacing the platforms. “Once the Bellerose station is done, every LIRR station will be ADA compliant, he said. Other renovation projects include new platforms, LED lighting and a new elevator at the Babylon train station and renovations to the Port Washington branch that will more trains to run to and from New York City.
Other improvements include painting the overpasses and replacing the signal and communication boxes, most of which “date back to the 1960s,” Free said.
According to Free, the LIRR is the busiest railway system in the nation. Last year, they ran a total of 321,198 trains. “No one else came close,” he said.
This year and next year will see Long Island hosting some of the biggest sporting events. This month, the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton will be taking place. Free said, because the Southampton line is a single track, the LIRR will be running between 22 and 26 trains a day. He also said the LIRR will get ready for next year when the National Hockey League’s All-Star Game comes to UBS Arena in Elmont and the Belmont Stakes returns to Belmont Park racetrack.
Free also talked about modernizing the LIRR — not just the tracks, but the workplace as well. The LIRR currently has an Office of Innovation, in which they use the latest technology to find ways to streamline the agency’s operations.
“We’re not using technology to replace our workers,” Free said, “but to become more precise and help our employees become more efficient.”