LIRR Strike Ends After 3-Day Walkout, Long Island Commuters Head Home

Long Island Rail Road service returned Tuesday afternoon after a three-and-a-half-day strike, as the MTA and five unions representing 3,500 workers agreed to a four-year contract that ends the first LIRR walkout in more than 30 years.

The first eastbound trains left Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal shortly after noon Tuesday. Full service across all branches was restored by 4 p.m., the MTA confirmed. Commuter lots that had sat nearly empty since Saturday refilled steadily through the afternoon.

"Finally," said one Great Neck commuter reached by phone Tuesday, who had spent three nights in Manhattan rather than face the highway. "I've been wearing the same clothes since Friday."

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the tentative deal late Monday night and called it a "fair deal" for workers and riders. The contract gives workers annual raises of 3 percent, 3 percent, 3.5 percent and 4.5 percent in the final year, plus a $3,000 lump-sum payment and full retroactive pay dating to the contract's expiration. Hochul said the raises fall within the MTA's existing financial projections and would not require fare increases beyond those already planned.

The deal covers five unions representing roughly half of the LIRR's total workforce. Ratification votes were scheduled over the coming days under each union's internal process.

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena had been among the first local officials to respond when the strike threatened, issuing a statement directing residents to alternative transportation resources and warning that express buses would be overcrowded during rush hours. North Hempstead communities including Port Washington, Great Neck and Manhasset depend heavily on LIRR service for daily commutes to Manhattan, with some of the densest per-household rail usage on Long Island.

The walkout began at midnight Saturday after talks collapsed in the final hours before the deadline, despite weeks of federally mediated sessions. About 300,000 daily riders were forced to find other options. Many worked from home. Others crowded onto express buses from Ronkonkoma to Queens during rush hours, or hired cars at surge prices. The Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway backed up for miles in both directions on Monday morning.

Picket lines ran through the weekend at Babylon and other stations across the system. Workers cited health care cost-sharing increases and wages that had not kept pace with Long Island's cost of living as the central sticking points in negotiations.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office estimated the strike cost the regional economy about $61 million per day in lost productivity and transit-dependent revenue. Over the full 3.5-day duration, the projected economic damage reaches roughly $215 million.

The strike was the first on the Long Island Rail Road since 1994 and came after months of mediation under the federal National Mediation Board. The board has authority to delay railroad strikes by requiring mediation, but cannot indefinitely prevent a walkout once mediation is exhausted. The final talks collapsed Saturday despite what both sides described as a narrow gap in positions.

MTA officials said riders should expect residual delays through Wednesday as equipment is repositioned and crews return to regular runs. Fire Island ferry connections out of Bay Shore and Patchogue were back on schedule by Tuesday evening. The Montauk branch returned to its full weekday timetable for the Wednesday morning commute.

The Long Island Rail Road is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, connecting more than 120 stations across Nassau and Suffolk counties to Penn Station and Grand Central Madison. This three-and-a-half-day walkout was the longest on the railroad since 1988.

Ratification timelines vary by union. Workers are expected to vote at union halls, with results anticipated by the end of the week. Full contract terms will be disclosed once ratification is complete. Riders who purchased tickets during the strike period can request refunds through the MTA app or at any LIRR ticket window.