Ticket Window closures

With the news out the the rail road wants to close an additional 18 windows, that doesn't leave many left. I was very sad when they closed Northport's last summer.

Just imagine the lines at the remaining windows and at the TVMs when the Mail & Ride/Webticket discounts go away.
As a Mail & Ride user, my main purpose was for the discount. I know when I can get to a machine and it wont be crowded if I have to. Absent the discount there is no incentive for me to use Mail & Ride.

I read that on the train in this morning. Besides the fare increases (Without my mail and ride discount, it's going to be in the $300's for me now with the subway as well...)

They're closing ticket windows at, off hand, I remember Bellmore, Bayside, Great Neck, Massapequa Park and I'm sure scores of others. I understand the merits for this, as I rarely see people use the window @Great Neck anymore when it used to be a line out the door to buy a ticket from the window. People just prefer the machine's now a days. The only problem I have with the window is how kids are going to get the school monthly. My brother's daughter goes to school in Port Washington and uses the school pass from their home in zone 3. They get her school pass @my ticket window because you need an agent to process the school discount, speaking of which are they doing away with that? Now they'll have to trek to the city and pay to get the ticket..they should either streamline the process or at least keep windows open to facilitate the purchase of school and reduced monthlies. All in all, due to the funding shortcome these changes are necessary...at least they're doing their best to avoid further service cuts.

Not good anyway you look at it

For a more detailed description, see page 25 of the document below

http://mta.info/news/pdf/july10_presentation.pdf

Commuter X

Commuter X wrote:Not good anyway you look at it

For a more detailed description, see page 25 of the document below

http://mta.info/news/pdf/july10_presentation.pdf

Commuter X

There is no page 25 on this, but I know what you meant.
They didnt specify what station windows they were closing. Since there arent many that arent terminals, it makes it pretty easy to figure out though.

What are they planning on doing for trainpeople who are ending their jobs running a short turn (i.e. ending in Mass Park, Freeport, Wantagh, Farmingdale) or will they change the jobs so they end in Penn or someplace else with a window open?

They spend millions to rebuild the station building at Valley Stream and 1) It's always closed after the AM rush, 2) the Window hours are useless after the 9AM.
Why spend Millions to build a building under the EL when at best the old building could have been left standing or better if it had to go make more parking spaces for employees/passengers, Passes payable to the LIRR.
They need to save the jobs. The windows in NY all have lines at.
though some of our tech savvy people seem to like the convenience of pulling up to a machine and going at their own pace. Others prefer to deal with a human whom can asst them better then any machine ever could.
roomer has it that one day the world will be over taken by computers and it will happen when some geek figures how to implant a USB port or wireless antenna in our brains.

In light of the recent news about ticket window closures, I thought this might be appropriate. I came across it while cleaning out my shelves. -Lee

Does anyone have access to the NY Newsday story RE: all ticket offices to close?

For the stations that were only open three hours in the AM were they staffed by part time agents?

The LIRR has no part-time employees.

A station clerk in a station that is only open limited hours must complete his eight hour tour of duty elsewhere.

Tool: I will second you with this example: The clerk working Kew Gardens for three or so hours in the AM rush traveled into PSNY after closing KG to work Mail-N-Ride there...
Another victim of one of the recent LIRR station closing rounds...
I remember this after asking about the short hours figuring that the assigned clerk got the 8 hours somehow...MACTRAXX

I had recalled seeing a part time posting for a MNCR station agent awhile ago. Was that a result of a labor agreement MNCR had?

Metro-North is down to 20 open ticket windows and they are doing just fine. I think the LIRR will be in the same situation before very long. My last experience with a LIRR ticket
seller in Penn Station a couple of years ago was most unpleasant and I will not go to another LIRR ticket window again. People will do just fine by purchasing their tickets from a
vending machine as from a ticket agent and this is far better than more fare increases and service cuts. Eventually the penalty for buying the ticket on the train will likely increase
to maybe $10.00 or maybe even more and the people will buy their tickets any way than can to avoid buying them on the train. Every station needs to have a vending machine and
this will probably happen too.
I can see retaining ticket windows at Penn Station and Brooklyn but most of the other locations can get along well without them.
Noel Weaver

as it stands now ,ticket office hours of operation(extremely limited) make it near impossible for the non seasoned commuter to purchase a ticket. as noel says,things wont change much with their complete elimination

The ticket offices are supposedly not closing , heard from the union today.