The LIRR is observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day at his year with a full weekday schedule, a change from some prior years where the railroad operated on a “Modified Weekday Schedule”.
While not enough service is a frequent complaint, too much service is also cause for concern. Yes, by having the full suite of weekday service is handy for those that go to work, it means the LIRR can’t be operating at a profit.
The LIRR had done a study taking ridership counts on trains arriving and departing Penn Station on MLK day since 2010, and while ridership had been more then on a normal Saturday or Sunday, it’s only 27% of that of a normal rush hour.
I’d think that with so many people working from home nowadays, and the fact that people get off, they’d run a modified weekday at the best, I guess I’m wrong on this.
Martin Luther King, .Jr Day is a paid holiday for most of the railroad’s represented employees, and all of those whom are working to provide full weekday service are paid a time and a half beyond the one day’s pay that other holidays use. I have nothing against that- it’s right that they get paid extra, however it’s surprising considering the fact that the LIRR is on a budget.
I personally think it’s a nice thing that they do, (especially with the extra opportunities to railfan), however, by doing this, they are sacrificing a bit and it questions how they are spending their money.