LIRR riders can beta test real-time train finder
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has launched a beta test of a new online tool that allows customers to view the real-time position of trains, the length of those trains, as well as the locations of trouble spots that could affect service.
To enable the tool to function, the LIRR has installed GPS transponders on all trains, nearly 600 GPS units in total. The GPS data supplements information from the LIRR’s signal system to provide the tool with accurate real-time positions of trains. Areas in tunnels where GPS is unavailable use signal system data and station stops and intermediate waypoint beacons to identify train locations. The tool's map display is refreshed with new data every three to five seconds and benefits from the enhanced accuracy of GPS data.
“We’ve heard many times from customers that they want better information about when their train will arrive,” said LIRR President Philip Eng. “This tool is designed to be the gold standard level of information and should remove any doubt about where upcoming trains are and how many cars they have and to provide a visual sense of how fast the trains are traveling. The myLIRR tool is an important component of our efforts to improve customer communications as part of the LIRR Forward plan.”
Customers can use any web browser and visit mylirr.org where a list of LIRR stations is displayed. Once a station is selected, a list of upcoming trains, organized by by scheduled arrival time for the eastbound and westbound directions, is displayed. Tapping any of the trains on the list will display a map with the train's location.
To help customers be prepared if a train has fewer cars than normal, the tool also lists how long each train is. Zooming in on the train displays this information graphically, by showing an outline of the train, with each of the cars in the train appearing on the map.
Instances where ongoing track work is reducing the number of available tracks are shown on the map with a wrench icon, and unplanned events that can delay trains, such a switch or signal problem, broken rail, track condition or disabled train are shown with an exclamation point icon.
LIRR Commuter Council Chair Mark Epstein said, “We commend the LIRR for this move to provide riders with a more accurate and real time assessment of the location of their trains and encourage riders to provide feedback to the LIRR as it rolls out this new online feature.”
The tool supplements existing real-time offerings including email and text messages service alerts available at MyMTAAlerts.com, MYmta and the LIRR Train Time app. The myLIRR tool is in beta and the LIRR plans to amend and improve it based on customer feedback.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
