Long Beach / Atlantic Branches Changes

V-e-r-y I-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g............ The BLE must have gotten something substantial in return for giving up that provision, no?

Stopped by Lead yesterday afternoon to check out the new signals.

I highly doubt the BLE got anything other than learned a lesson which they likely forgot by now.
I can’t see how they got anything of benefit by allowing NYAR to operate, and even if they protested that the NYAR had to “lease” engineers from LIRR the MTA would likely have strong armed them into submission.
Can someone who was there at the time add insight?