Serving Great Neck, G.N. Plaza, G.N. Estates, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston
$1.50
Friday, October 7, 2022
Vol. 97, No. 40
HOME & DESIGN
G.N. SCHOOLS RANKED #3 IN NATION
ZIMMERMAN, SANTOS SQUARE OFF
PAGES 23-30
PAGE 2
PAGE 6
Express service to remain on LIRR’s Port line
P L AY I T A G A I N
Officials say no trains will be reduced for N. Shore commuters BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z After proposing changes to the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington branch that would have eliminatedexpress service as part of the agency’s East Side Access project, transit officials announced Thursday that they have abandoned their plans to do so. The draft timetable changes, residents and officials said, would shortchange commuters throughout Port Washington, Plandome, Manhasset and Great Neck by decreasing express service. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority held multiple virtual sessions to hear feedback from North Shore residents and officials, a majority of which was in opposition to the proposed cutbacks. State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) and state Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti (D-Port Washington) helped lead a charge that encouraged residents and other elected officials throughout the North Shore areas to express their concerns to transit officials so that the longstanding express service could be retained. The two expressed their excitement following the announcement that the plans to eliminate the express service would not come to fruition. “Thousands of residents in this community have spoken up about the impact of the proposed cuts on their
daily lives, and today, the MTA has heard us, and taken action to address our concerns,” Kaplan said in a statement. “I applaud the MTA and LIRR for working to ensure our community still has express train service to Penn Station even after Grand Central Madison opens this winter, but there is still more to be done to ensure our communities get the level of service we need and deserve.” “When the draft timetables were released at the beginning of the summer, I listened to the thousands of commuters who were outraged to see the elimination of the express trains,” Sillitti said. “After thousands of public comments, three packed public hearings, and hours of testimony, I am grateful that the MTA and the LIRR heard the concerns and restored express train service back to the Port Washington Line.” Overall, the branch will receive an 11% boost in service, with more trains becoming available for commuters on the Port Washington Branch, according to the draft schedules following the agency’s announcement. A total of 103 trains per day will be servicing the branch, 10 more than the current schedule has, officials said. On weekends, a total of five more trains, 81 total, will be operating along the branch. The draft morning rush hour schedContinued on Page 42
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GREAT NECK SCHOOL DISTRICT
Great Neck South High Senior Xinyi (Zoe) Zhang was one of 10 students throughout New York to be selected to perform in a statewide piano showcase.
G.N.’s Lancman to lead LIPA commission BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z
sion on the Future of the Long Island Power Authority, officials announced Great Neck resident and former last week. Lancman, who represented the state Assemblyman Rory Lancman was named the new executive direc- state Assembly’s 25th District in tor of the state’s Legislative Commis- Eastern Queens from 2007-2013,
will now be part of a state-budgeted commission tasked with establishing a more effective operational model for how the organization serves Long Islanders. Continued on Page 43
Visit thegreatnecknews.com or theisland360.com for the latest in breaking news.