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MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) officials have announced a pilot program to expand waiting room hours at 41 stations.

The program is part of the railroad's ongoing effort to improve customer service and serves as a response to concerns raised by the LIRR Commuter Council, which pressed for later afternoon and evening access to stations, LIRR officials said in a prepared statement.

Operating hours at the 41 stations will be extended to 10 p.m. on weekdays; in the past, the stations closed at midday.

"We realize that our customers are traveling our system at all hours of the day," said LIRR President Helena Williams. "By making the waiting rooms available for greater periods, customers have the convenience of waiting for trains out of the elements."

Earlier this year, LIRR experimented with later hours in a pilot program involving 20 stations. The railroad closely monitored the conditions at those stations, and determined that the extended hours did not result in additional cleaning or vandalism issues, LIRR officials said.