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Lafazan proposes LIRR barriers

The Island Now
County Legislator Joshua Lafazan (D-Woodbury) is running for New York's 3rd Congressional District. (Photo courtesy of the candidate)

Just a few weeks after New York City straphanger Michelle Go was pushed to her death on a subway track, Josh Lafazan, a Democratic candidate for Congress (NY-03), called on the MTA to install platform doors and barriers at the busiest Long Island Railroad stations throughout the system.

Lafazan, a three-term Nassau County legislator who would be the youngest Democrat in Congress, stood at the Syosset station – one of the busiest of the 124 throughout the system – to call on the MTA leadership to install barriers before anyone else is injured or killed.

“This issue is of paramount importance for the millions of New Yorkers who ride the Long Island Railroad every single day,” said Lafazan. “Incidents like what we saw happen to Michelle Go could be prevented with enough political will and a little bit of capital, which the MTA has, thanks to the recent infusion from Washington. When I’m in Congress, I will work to make sure even more resources are available to the MTA and the LIRR to protect the hard-working men and women who rely on the system to get them to and from work without incident. What happened to Michelle should never happen to another New Yorker – and installing barriers will aid tremendously toward that end.”

The MTA has looked at installing platform barriers and doors in NYC subway stations before for more than 30 years, but not at all LIRR stations. The LIRR saw more than 80 million annual rides prior to COVID-19 hitting in 2020.

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