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The Office of Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips has completed a review of all 58 Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations in Nassau County and the results are not good. Site visits revealed peeling paint, decaying concrete, pitted steel and filthy conditions at some of the County’s busiest LIRR stations. This, despite the County paying the MTA more than $100,000 A DAY for maintenance, use and operation of the stations.
 The stations with the worst conditions include Floral Park, Valley Stream, Long Beach and Rockville Centre. Also topping the list for rider dissatisfactions were Glen Cove, Island Park and Bellerose. Overall, problems at these stations :
- Station cleanliness: pigeon droppings, urine smells and garbage.
- Maintenance issues: Crumbling concrete platforms, peeling paint and rusted and pitted steel, poor lighting and outdated infrastructure.
- Safety concerns: Reports of homeless individuals, drug use, and lack of security presence.
- Lack of waiting rooms and bathrooms or limited access to those that do exist.
- Parking frustrations: Limited availability and poor conditions.
 The report details the Comptroller’s assessment of all 58 LIRR stations in Nassau via a two-pronged approach:
- Inspections of each LIRR stations using a consistent, objective rubric.
- A survey of LIRR riders with questions about station amenities such as waiting rooms and bathrooms, infrastructure including station platforms and parking lots, safety features including lighting and cameras, cleanliness and accessibility.
935 LIRR riders completed the survey, with 457 of the respondents taking the opportunity to offer optional comments.
Among the open-text comments, approximately 85 percent were negative. The most common
complaints concerned pigeon infestations and related filth, and riders’ frustration with not having access to an indoor waiting area or bathrooms at their train stations.
Among the 58 LIRR stations in Nassau County, 43 have an indoor waiting room and 42 have bathrooms, however most are locked before the evening rush hour ends, and roughly half are closed on weekends. Evening and weekend riders are left with no protection from the elements and no bathrooms.
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“As Nassau County Comptroller, I am focused on ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and effectively, so when I heard from numerous constituents from across the County that there were problems at our Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations, I had to look into it,” said Comptroller Phillips. “Each year, Nassau County pays more than $36 million to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for LIRR station maintenance, use and operation, and my study showed that many of the stations are not properly maintained.”
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In addition to this New York state-mandated annual fee, and the fares our riders pay, the MTA charges Nassau County residents taxes and fees every time they register a motor vehicle, renew a driver’s license, record a mortgage and pay sales tax. These taxes and fees amount to approximately $100 million a year in Nassau County.
“Where is all of this money going if our LIRR stations are not painted, cleaned or maintained regularly?” Comptroller Phillips asks. When this question was sent to the MTA in a formal letter from the Comptroller in March 2025, it was met with a verbose response filled with information about the MTA, but which did not answer the question: How was the $36.5 million for station maintenance, use and operation in 2024 spent?
Comptroller Phillips has yet to receive a satisfactory response to the question and is calling on the MTA to improve conditions at Nassau County’s LIRR stations and maintain them properly going forward.
For more information, access the Comptroller’s full report including photos at
https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/50555/NC-MTA-LIRR-Review or email nccomptroller@nassaucountyny.gov.
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COMPTROLLER PHILLIPS SUPPORTS NASSAU COUNTY TAXPAYERS
Under Comptroller Phillips' watch, Nassau County is implementing stronger financial controls, greater accountability, less waste and better use of tax dollars.
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