NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 15: A commuter waits by the entrance to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) at Penn Station on May 15, 2026 in New York City. Commuters face major disruption as unions representing more than 3,500 workers prepare to strike from May 16, threatening to shut down the Long Island Rail Road America's busiest passenger rail service unless transit officials and labor leaders reach a last-minute contract agreement. (Credit: Adam Gray/Getty Images)
The Long Island Rail Road went silent at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Five unions representing 3,500 LIRR workers — including locomotive engineers, signalmen, electricians, machinists, and clerical employees — walked off the job after last-ditch negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority collapsed late Friday night, triggering the first strike on the nation's busiest commuter railroad since 1994.
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