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Friday, May 26, 2023
Vol. 9, No. 21
PortWashingtonTimes Washington GUIDE TO SUMMER
UNCONTESTED VILLAGE RACES IN PORT
COUNTY LEGISTLATURE OKss CASINO LEASE OK
PAGES 21-32
PAGE 2
PAGE 6
New Port LIRR schedule same as the old one
SCHREIBER SPRING CONCERT
Commuter activists say they want more trains to Penn Station BY C A M E RY N O A K ES The Long Island Rail Road implemented a new timetable schedule Monday. Despite pushback from riders along the Port Washington Branch and demands for changes, the timetable for this branch includes no substantial differences. The LIRR implemented a new timetable Feb. 27 that included service to Grand Central Madison. This additional service meant trains are now split between Grand Central and Penn Station, in turn greatly reducing the number of trains going to Penn Station that are deferred to Grand Central instead. For many Penn Station commuters, this change is detrimental to their schedules. This includes local commuter activist and Penn Station commuter Ariana Parasco, who said the new schedule prevents her from being able to arrive at work by 9 a.m. without having to leave her home an hour earlier than she used to. She said that is impossible for her to balance child care. A new timetable is now running from May 22-Sept. 4 for the summer. But all train departures and arrivals along the Port Washington branch have stayed nearly the same. The differences between train arrivals and departures is a matter of minutes, some arriving sooner and others later.
This fails to address the real problems of the schedule, Port Washington resident and commuter activist Ian Rasmussen said. The real changes needed to alleviate these issues, are much more difficult to implement, he said. Rasmussen, a Penn Station commuter, said he has found the trains he commutes on are much busier than those running to and from Grand Central around similar times. To address this, the MTA has added additional cars to certain trains, including the 5:52 p.m. train out of Penn Station. But Rasmussen compared this to buying a bigger belt when you gain weight: it is not actually addressing the issue at the source. “The number of people who they thought were going to go to Grand Central instead of Penn Station is way off,” Rasmussen said. “It’s very difficult to change that. Despite the difference in ridership, trains do not reflect this, according to Rasmussen. During a.m. peak travel times, nine trains run to Penn Station and six go to Grand Central Madison. This equates to a 60-40 split of trains running to Penn and Grand Central. During p.m. peak travel times, trains are equally traveling from Penn Station and Grand Central with 10 each. Continued on Page 42
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PORT WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
Freshman orchestra, chorus and band performed in the first of three spring concerts hosted by Schreiber High School.
WWII vet Kramer honored as Port’s grand marshal BY C A M E RY N O A K ES
80 years ago, will be recognized during the Port Washington Memorial Day Marty Kramer enlisted in the Parade where he will lead as the grand Marine Corps during World War II in marshal. “I was very patriotic and was very 1944 at just 17 years old. His service from when he was a teenager, nearly anxious to go in and help win the war,”
Kramer said. The Port Washington Memorial Day hosted by the Port Washington American Legion Post No. 509 will be held on May 29 at 10 a.m. The paContinued on Page 42
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