SE Queens pols to MTA: Restore the original Freedom Ticket

Southeast Queens’s elected officials want the MTA to revise its Freedom Ticket proposal to allow for better commutes for transit-starved residents.

Under the MTA’s new Freedom Ticket proposal, riders from six stations (Rosedale, Laurelton, Locust Manor, St. Albans, Hollis and Queens Village) would be able to get to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn on the LIRR using a $6.50 ticket. They would then be able to transfer to any subway or bus without paying again.

The current one-way peak weekday cost for that ride on the LIRR is $10.25.

But local elected officials say the MTA’s plan is not enough. Their original proposal called for the Freedom Ticket to drop off riders at Penn Station in Manhattan, where so many residents work. They say by taking riders into Brooklyn, the MTA would essentially be adding another half-hour of subway rides to their commutes.

The letter was signed by Borough President Melinda Katz, Congressman Gregory Meeks, State Senator Leroy Comrie, Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman, Councilwoman Adrienne Adams, Assemblyman Clyde Vanel, Assemblyman I. Daneek Miller and State Senator James Sanders.

The next MTA board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 21.

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