Busiest US commuter rail system to resume operations as deal reached to end strike

Busiest US commuter rail system to resume operations as deal reached to end strike 1 of 6 | Negotiators have reached a deal to end a strike that has brought North America’s largest commuter rail system to a standstill. New York’s governor says service on the Long Island Rail Road will start back up beginning Tuesday at noon. 2 of 6 | Long Island Rail Road trains sit in the West Side Yard on the first day of a strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 3 of 6 | People walk past a sign board at Penn Station in the Manhattan borough of New York announcing that Long Island Rail Road service is suspended because of a strike" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="130024" data-entity-type="event">worker strike, on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael R. Sisak) 4 of 6 | Commuters board buses to Long Island outside of the Jamaica–179th Street station as Long Island Rail Road workers enter the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 5 of 6 | Long Island Rail Road workers walk on the picket line outside of Penn Station on the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 6 of 6 | Tracks are empty at Mineola train station as Long Island Rail Road workers enter the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Mineola, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 1 of 6 Negotiators have reached a deal to end a strike that has brought North America’s largest commuter rail system to a standstill. New York’s governor says service on the Long Island Rail Road will start back up beginning Tuesday at noon. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 6 | Long Island Rail Road trains sit in the West Side Yard on the first day of a strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 2 of 6 Long Island Rail Road trains sit in the West Side Yard on the first day of a strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 6 | People walk past a sign board at Penn Station in the Manhattan borough of New York announcing that Long Island Rail Road service is suspended because of a strike" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="130024" data-entity-type="event">worker strike, on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael R. Sisak) 3 of 6 People walk past a sign board at Penn Station in the Manhattan borough of New York announcing that Long Island Rail Road service is suspended because of a strike" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="130024" data-entity-type="event">worker strike, on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael R. Sisak) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 6 | Commuters board buses to Long Island outside of the Jamaica–179th Street station as Long Island Rail Road workers enter the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 4 of 6 Commuters board buses to Long Island outside of the Jamaica–179th Street station as Long Island Rail Road workers enter the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 6 | Long Island Rail Road workers walk on the picket line outside of Penn Station on the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 5 of 6 Long Island Rail Road workers walk on the picket line outside of Penn Station on the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 6 of 6 | Tracks are empty at Mineola train station as Long Island Rail Road workers enter the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Mineola, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 6 of 6 Tracks are empty at Mineola train station as Long Island Rail Road workers enter the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Mineola, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] New York (AP) — Trains are set to resume rolling on the Long Island Rail Road on Tuesday after a deal was reached to end a strike that had shut down the busiest commuter rail system in the country.Commuters in the New York City suburbs will still have to muddle through another tough morning rush hour, as trains won’t be running in time for the commute into work, railroad officials said after the deal was announced late Monday. The LIRR urged riders to work from home again Tuesday if possible. Free but limited shuttle buses will still be offered from a handful of locations on Long Island to subway stations in New York City. Five labor unions representing about half the train system’s workforce went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, halting service for roughly 250,000 commuters who use the rail system that connects New York City to its eastern suburbs every weekday. Hallie Kessler was among the weary Long Island commuters who welcomed the strike’s end. With the trains out of service, the 24-year old speech therapist commuted three hours home from her job at a public school in the New York City borough of Queens on Monday. 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ “Obviously I wish trains would be running when peak hours start so I could avoid the long morning commute, but happy to not deal with it in the afternoon when I’m leaving work,” Kessler said. “Curious what the deal says about future fares, which has been a big concern, but we’ll see.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and railroad officials have said they’re not at liberty to disclose details of the new contract terms until they’re voted on and approved by union members. But the Democrat, who is up for reelection, stressed the deal won’t increase fares or taxes and will give unionized workers the fair wages they deserve.The first impacts of the walkout were felt over the weekend, as baseball fans had to find other ways to get to Citi Field in Queens to see the New York Mets take on their crosstown rivals the New York Yankees. Hochul said the deal ensures basketball fans won’t meet the same fate as they travel to watch the New York Knicks continue their playoff run on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, which is located directly above the LIRR’s Penn Station hub in Manhattan.The unions — which represent locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and others — and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had been negotiating a new contract since 2023, but talks had stalled over salaries and healthcare.The unions have said raises were needed to help workers keep up with inflation and the rising cost of living in the New York City area. The MTA had said the union’s initial demands would lead to fare increases and set a difficult precedent for negotiations with other transit unions. The strike was the first walkout for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994. Marcelo is a general assignment reporter in the NYC bureau. He previously wrote for AP Fact Check and before that was based in Boston, where he focused on race and immigration.