Safety Hazards Persist At LIRR Stations

Six LIRR stations in Queens are either unsafe or poorly maintained, according to City Comptroller William Thompson.
Problems range from a graffiti-splattered St. Albans station to cracked and crumbling concrete in five other stations Broadway, Murray Hill, Long Island City, Locust Manor, and Belmont Park. Citing damaged staircases, rusted beams, and loose metal plates on the platforms, Thompson said in a recent audit that some of these conditions had been listed in previous audits dating back to 1998 but had not been repaired.
Only four of Queens 23 stations Bayside, Far Rockaway, Hollis and Little Neck received high marks, according to the Comptroller. Another 11 had minor repair or clean-up problems.
"Given that the City paid the MTA more than $65 million last year for station maintenance," said Thompson, "I am appalled by the conditions cited in these audit reports." As he questioned whether the MTAs repair program was adequate, he called upon the MTA to correct all the problems immediately.
An estimated 12,650 riders use the LIRR every morning.
Until two years ago, the repair rules were more stringent. The MTA was required to reimburse the maintenance funds that City taxpayers had paid that were never used on repairs. In September 1994, the MTA reimbursed $900,000 to the Comptrollers office because City inspectors also found that the MTA had not adequately dealt with safety and graffiti problems at six LIRR stations. Legislation in Albany ended this refund process in 1999.
Although three Queens stations Auburndale, Jamaica and Long Island City are currently undergoing capital renovations, the Comptrollers inspectors found major passenger safety problems at five borough stations.
Broadway: The platform shelter has protruding rusty nails; uneven platform sidewalks with pavement gaps; broken platform concrete, and broken glass in front of a staircase. In addition, the station should have been painted in 1999. Some of these construction problems were noted as far back as October 1998, according to Thompson.
Murray Hill: As far back as January 2000, MTA inspectors found broken and chipped steps, cracked, rusted and crumbling station platforms, leaking ceilings, and steel plates at the edge of the platform that required repairs. These conditions had also been noted by the Comptroller in 1999.
 Long Island City: There are large holes in the asphalt walkway where passengers cross the tracks, and no warning signs posted to alert passengers of oncoming trains.
Locust Manor: Cracked and crumbling cement and graffiti on westbound platform.
Belmont: Rotted track sheds and damage to platform and staircase.
The audit recommended that the MTA immediately correct all unsafe conditions cited by the Comptroller and by its own insepctors. The LIRR agreed with the audits recommendations.