Shafran Calls for MTA Not to Make Summer Service Cut

Austin Shafran, a Bayside resident running for Councilman Dan Halloran's seat, is calling on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to nix a planned summer service cut for the Long Island Rail Road in northeast Queens.

The MTA has cancelled its 7:55 a.m. train from Little Neck to Penn Station, which includes stops in Bayside and Douglaston, to allow for East Side Access construction between July 22 and Aug. 16.

Shafran, who invited local residents for an early morning protest Wednesday at Bayside's LIRR station, said he wants the MTA to temporarily turn the Port Washington line's 7:47 a.m. train from Great Neck into a semi-express that would make stops in northeast Queens during the construction.

"This kind of major interruption makes an already difficult situation for commuters dangerous when you factor in overcrowding," Shafran said. "It's a burdensome cancellation that is also taking place during the hottest month of the year."

But an MTA spokesman said that riders could take the train 27 minutes earlier or 19 minutes later than they normally would and that the suspension was just temporary.