Headaches persist with new LIRR station

It looks like another week of headaches for commuters on the Long Island Rail Road.

Scheduling snarls caused by the opening of the $12.7 billion Grand Central Madison terminal — 10 years behind schedule — caused massive delays for riders last week.

On Monday, Long Islanders heading into the city saw little to no change, despite promises from Gov. Hochul and MTA CEO Janno Lieber that service would be better this week.

“This morning I missed my train by three minutes — and then I had to wait 25 minutes,” Kim Domagala told the Daily News Monday evening while waiting for a train to Hewlett, L.I.

“They should put tables and chairs up here,” she added dryly, gesturing to the station’s mezzanine

“I get it, they’re trying to work the kinks out. But this is the most chaotic I’ve ever seen it.”

Domagala, who works in Long Island City, Queens, said she’d missed every morning connection at Jamaica last week.

“I’ve been getting to work at 9:30 — I’m supposed to get there at 9,” she said.

“It’s been absolute hell. They don’t even wait for you.”

A half-dozen station agents in bright orange vests walked the mezzanine Monday, directing commuters to tracks based on destination and helping decipher the new schedule.

One agent, who was told not to talk to the press, said they also tried to hold trains when they could — but missed transfers abounded.

“I just missed my train by one minute. I’ve got to wait another 20 minutes,” said Will Wilkerson, who was on his way home to Valley Stream, L.I., from Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal.

“It sucks,” he said — though he was optimistic. “It’s a new system, they’re bound to figure it out.”

The delays continue after Hochul directed the MTA to add cars to overcrowded trains and increase shuttle service between Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica — a plan Lieber had hinted at Friday.

The additional shuttles worked, but were of an older vintage, straphanger Rodney Scott surmised Monday

“They put all the old trains coming from Brooklyn,” he said.

“They pulled all the dinosaurs for the shuttle. It is what it is.”

Jim Pieper, a Brooklyn public school teacher, was more blunt.

“They’re screwing the Brooklyn commuters,” he said on a platform while waiting to start his journey home to Amityville. L.I.

Pieper said his Monday morning commute had been a little bit better than last week — but he’d skipped a train from Jamaica in the morning because it was too crowded.