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1/24/2022
In 2021, MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) achieved its best annual on-time performance (OTP) since record-keeping began in the 1970s, LIRR President Phil Eng announced last week.
The annual total of 96.3% on-time trains broke the previous record of 95.9% set in 2020; the new record is a 5.5% improvement over 2018’s OTP of 90.4%. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has accelerated capital work and created the LIRR Forward Plan in an effort to identify the root causes of train delays, MTA LIRR officials said in a press release.
Launched in 2018, the LIRR Forward Plan addresses all delay causes within the railroad’s control, including switch and signal failures, broken rails and rail-car reliability. Notable improvements accomplished under the program include eliminating eight grade crossings; raising the heights of seven bridges; double-tracking of the Ronkonkoma Branch; switch and signal upgrades; and high visibility safety delineators placed at 296 crossings.
"We are proactively tackling longstanding issues through aggressive measures to eliminate, mitigate and prevent problems before they can become major disruptions," Eng said.