Another LIRR Station Scandal
An audit by NYC Comptroller Alan Hevesi contends the MTA overbilled New York City by $344,372 for station repair, maintenance and security costs for LIRR Queens stations while little actual work was done. Of the 31 stations LIRR operates in Queens, Hevesi found 29 to be in sub-standard condition, with rotted platforms, cracked stairs, leaky canopies, graffiti and peeling paint. The report says LIRR ignored past repair recommendations. LIRR claims renovations are scheduled for stations cited, but not for one or two years. The MTA plans to return the money it overcharged by adjusting next year's maintenance charges. We reported in MTR 142 that the Nassau County Comptroller was threatening to withhold payment from the MTA because shoddy maintenance for western Nassau stations had rendered them "third-world disaster zones."
