(The following story by Jennifer Maloney appeared on the Newsday website on May 9.)
NEW YORK — The number of reverse commuters and midday riders is booming on the Long Island Rail Road — growing by more than 70 percent since 1998, according to an LIRR study to be unveiled Thursday.
The Origin and Destination Study, the railroad’s first since 1998, provides detailed information about ridership patterns: where riders are coming from, where they’re going and why.
The study, conducted in the spring of 2006, showed overall ridership has grown 7.8 percent.
The results bolster previous projections of overall ridership growth and rising demand for trains for reverse commuters — two central justifications for the railroad’s Third Track project, railroad officials said. The LIRR plans to seize pieces of up to 72 properties in temporary or permanent easements for construction of a third track along the main line between Floral Park and Hicksville.
“The findings of the Origin and Destination Study complement and confirm what [regional transportation planners have] been saying,” LIRR spokeswoman Susan McGowan said.
According to the study, morning rush hour travel to Long Island destinations increased by 76 percent, or 5,567 daily riders.
Among the study’s other preliminary conclusions:
Westbound midday ridership increased by 72 percent, or 14,146 daily riders — the LIRR’s fastest-growing market. Within this group, the railroad saw a 10 percent jump in recreational trips, representing some 6,000 daily customers.
Travel within Nassau and Suffolk counties soared, with 2,204 — or 204 percent — more daily riders traveling during the morning rush hour and 1,921 riders — or 243 percent — more riding midday on weekdays. Most of the morning trips are for work, McGowan said, adding that more research is needed to determine the purpose of the midday trips.
Morning peak ridership increased on the railroad’s diesel lines — Montauk and Port Jefferson. Railroad officials attributed the shift to the LIRR’s new, more comfortable diesel coaches and the introduction of one-seat rides to Manhattan made possible by dual-mode trains.
The three-month study, which cost about $500,000, included head counts of riders at every station and information from mail-in rider surveys. LIRR officials said budget constraints prevented them from doing the study earlier.