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Beginning this month, MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will conduct a customer-based origin and destination (O&D) study to help the agency develop a ridership database at each of its stations.

LIRR workers will count passengers on platforms at most stations and on board trains in areas with low ridership to determine peak and off-peak ridership on weekdays and weekends. The agency also will distribute surveys to a random sampling of passengers.

The railroad expects to complete field work by the end of June issue a report on the study in the fourth quarter. Results will be compared with the last O&D study, which was conducted in 1998.

LIRR officials will use study findings to gauge changes in travel behavior, schedule support equipment and determine station-to-station travel patterns by market segment.