Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng appeared on WALK 97.5 FM with Anna and Raven to discuss the LIRR's ongoing response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
A transcript of the interview appears below.
Anna: Phil Eng is the president of the MTA Long Island Railroad. It's Anna and Raven.
Phil Eng: Hi Anna. Thank you for having me.
Anna: We know that the ridership is down 90% but you guys still have a big job on your hands.
Phil Eng: Well, you know the ridership's down, but the remaining ridership is so valuable to the fight against this pandemic. You know, the railroad is doing their job to move those folks safely to their workplaces.
Raven: Yes, I think it's almost forgotten by some, right, if we don't have any way to get there, obviously the job can't get done.
Anna: Yeah. And I hear they're calling it "heroes moving heroes," too.
Phil Eng: You know, the unsung heroes are THE heroes. They are facing the same stress as everyone else, the uncertainty that comes with COVID-19 and how this could affect their family is real. At the same time these folks are here every day so people can get in. You know, the folks who have been cleaning stations and cleaning the trains at a frequency that has never been seen before, it is a testament to all of them because what we want is for people that are so stressed out right now to know that if they're taking the railroad, it's safe that we're cleaning it, we're sanitizing it and that we are running enough service to allow them to socially distance when they're commuting. And that's all going a long way because I think this is a 24/7 mental strain in terms of, you know, everyone wanting to get to the finish line, and none of us knowing when it's there.
Anna: Yeah. So another question that we've been asked a lot is, what about those monthly passes? How does that work?
Phil Eng: Well, the monthly passes are our best option for folks that have to ride on a regular basis. It's more discounted than buying single tickets. It's more discounted than our peak fares. What we've done is with regards to April, a lot of people had signed up for Mail and Ride in advance and we messaged very strongly to them that they will get full refunds if they're not traveling in April. And we gave them all clear direction on how to resubmit them back and get full refunds for those that are not. And we're happy that the people that don't need to travel are heeding the advice and staying home. And we're proud of the fact that the ones that do have to travel are doing it safely. We're proud of the men and women of the railroad for being able to allow them to do that.
Anna: Thank you so much for taking the time this morning. We really appreciate it. And thank you for all that you're doing. We know it's no easy task that you have ahead of you.
Phil Eng: And you know what we want everyone to realize is that we're going to get through this together. The workforce at Long Island Rail Road, my managers, our labor partners, we have all been working collaboratively to get through this and we want the public to know that we're going to be here and we've been running this essential service plan so they can get to where they need to safely and help us all beat the virus.
Raven: Phil Eng, President at MTA Long Island Rail Road.
Phil: Raven, you be safe and thank you for allowing me to get out there and talk a little bit to your listeners in the public.
