Long Island Rail Road Service to Resume Tuesday After MTA and Unions Reach Deal Ending Three-Day Strike

Service on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is set to resume at 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday following a tentative agreement between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and five unions, ending a three-day strike that halted operations on the nation’s busiest commuter railroad.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the deal, stating that the MTA reached a fair agreement with the LIRR unions that delivers raises for workers while protecting riders and taxpayers. “I’m pleased to announce the LIRR service will resume beginning tomorrow at noon,” Hochul said.

The strike began over the weekend after weeks of negotiations failed to produce a new labor contract. It marked the first LIRR strike in 30 years and disrupted service for approximately 275,000 daily commuters. Unions remained at the bargaining table at MTA headquarters, but talks extended past the point where crews could be positioned for Monday morning service.

The core dispute centered on wages and work rules. Unions sought a 5% raise in the final year of the contract, while the MTA offered 3% plus additional lump-sum payments. MTA officials had warned that higher raises could lead to fare increases of as much as 8% or service cuts. Beyond pay, negotiations addressed excess overtime, work rules, and other contract provisions that have accumulated over years, including protections such as double pay for locomotive engineers operating both electric and diesel trains in a single shift.

Details of the final framework were not immediately released. The agreement covers a four-year contract. Union members have been without a new contract for nearly three years and are expected to receive retroactive pay in a lump sum. The deal still requires ratification by rank-and-file union members and approval by the MTA board.

A Presidential Emergency Board appointed by the Trump administration had previously weighed in on the dispute, recommending raises that fell short of the unions’ full 5% demand but were viewed as reasonable. The MTA sought further negotiations on costly work rules and overtime provisions. President Trump had publicly commented on the situation via Truth Social.

Commuters faced significant disruptions during the strike. The MTA operated limited shuttle buses from select Long Island stations to two subway stations in New York City, with capacity for 13,000 but actual ridership of only about 2,000. Many commuters endured hours-long trips, including walks of up to two hours to reach pickup points. Alternative options included discounted parking at Citi Field for park-and-ride access to the 7 subway line.

Transportation analysts have long noted that the LIRR’s peak rush-hour volume would require the equivalent of a 26-lane highway to replicate by road—an infeasible prospect that underscores the railroad’s critical role.

The strike represented the largest transit disruption in New York in years, comparable to the 2005 subway strike and the 1983 Metro-North strike that lasted six weeks. With the agreement now in place, full details of the contract are expected to emerge in the coming days.