Trains began running again on the Long Island Rail Road Tuesday after a deal was reached to end a strike that had shut down the busiest commuter rail system in the United States. The first departures left from Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal shortly after noon, and railroad officials said full service was planned in time for the evening rush home.
The strike had halted service for much of the weekend and Monday’s commute, when trains were not ready for service after the agreement was reached late Monday. On Tuesday, the LIRR also urged riders to work from home again, while shuttle buses operated from locations on Long Island to subway stations in New York City as service returned.
Riders returning to the tracks described mixed feelings about the resolution. Michele Forrester, a rider from Queens who uses the LIRR to reach her job on Long Island, said the strike “should not have gotten to this point in the first place,” adding that she believed the discussions over pay and the cost of living should not have required shutting down service.
Other commuters said the work stoppage served as a reminder that the rail system depends on workers. Nya Archie, a filmmaker from Queens headed into Manhattan, called the strike an important reminder that working people remain essential to making New York function, while also emphasizing that the transit system “is run by the people” who operate it.
Labor union leaders began briefing rank-and-file members on the contract terms after the parties reached an agreement, according to Jamie Horwitz, a spokesperson for the five unions. Voting was expected to take place over the coming days, with each union following its contract ratification process.
The walkout began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, when five labor unions representing about half of the LIRR’s workforce went on strike and halted service for roughly 250,000 commuters who ride the line every weekday. The unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had been negotiating a new contract since 2023, with talks stalled over salaries and healthcare.
Riders who endured disruptions during the shutdown said they were watching for what the contract means going forward, including questions about fares. Hallie Kessler, a 24-year-old speech therapist who commuted three hours home from her Queens job on Monday with trains out of service, said she hoped trains would run during peak hours and added she wanted to see “what the deal says about future fares.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul and railroad officials declined to disclose details of the new contract terms until union members approve them, but Hochul said the deal would not increase fares or taxes. Robert Free, president of the LIRR, said the sides “found another way” to make the numbers work, describing elements of the agreement as making costs more affordable and more acceptable for the unions while allowing the company to fit within its financial structure.
As the strike ended, the immediate disruptions already had rippled through the weekend and Monday. Baseball fans had to find alternate routes to Citi Field in Queens, and Hochul said the deal would prevent a similar travel problem for basketball fans attending the Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night because the arena sits directly above the LIRR’s Penn Station hub.