Montauk and Greenport Service

[Youngster]

Don’t know if this question has been asked before but what prevented the LIRR from abandoning service to both Montauk and Greenport?
When Amtrak was formed in 1971 it was exempted from taking over commuter lines, commuter lines being anything within 80 miles of a city center. With Montauk at 116 miles and Greenport at 95 miles what prevented the MTA from just abandoning service beyond the 80 mile mark for those lines? I know this is what exactly what happened on the Upper Harlem Line where Penn Central just discontinued everything beyond the 80 mile mark between Dover Plains and Chatham.
Also did Amtrak every really consider taking over Montauk and Greenport in 1971 as they would at least had to entertain the notion as those trains were “technically” long distance services?

[northpit]

The short answer is there is a lot of money east of speonk

[R36 Combine Coach]

The Jitney is more a long distance service than commuter. No commuter passes (weekly/monthly), just 10-trip discounts, which much traffic being seasonal.

[Backshophoss]

Speonk to Montauk is now single track CTC under Babylon East desk control. New $$$$ from the NYC area rules development of the south Fork.
KO to GY is the LAST section of the Mainline under TT/TO control, and plenty of old $$$$$ on the north Fork

[Maverickstation1]

A major reason why all lines were maintained after the take over by New York State is that the services
are funded my additional taxes levied in the counties served by commuter rail.

If services east of Speonk, and Ronkonkoma were not continued you would have had demands that the affected towns be removed from the additional tax levies.

Ken

[jhdeasy]

Speonk to Montauk is now single track CTC under Babylon East desk control. New $$$$ from the NYC area rules development of the south Fork.
KO to GY is the LAST section of the Mainline under TT/TO control, and plenty of old $$$$$ on the north Fork

My uncle and my father, who knew many of the New York State criminal court judges in Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan and Queens (but not Staten Island) in the 1960s thru 1980s, said that several of them had second homes on the North Fork between Riverhead and East Marion. They lobbied the railroad, the MTA and the appropriate legislators to maintain rail service. At least one of those judges was a Shelter Island Express parlor car passenger.

[northpit]

two other factors, 1-At the time the engineers union had in place a "manning rule" that any train operated on lirr would have an lirr engineer on it. i guess if it came to it they could ride as pilots. 2- at the time there was still a substantial freight market east of KO and SK which of course amtrak would not handle and doubtful that freights would originate at oak point for service on eastern LI