L.I.R.R. Warns Cannonball Riders to Leave Their Luggage at Home

The Long Island Rail Road took to social media on Thursday, asking Hamptons-bound passengers on the Cannonball express train to leave their oversized luggage at home for the rest of the season.

This follows a meeting this week between L.I.R.R. officials and the Federal Railroad Administration at which the feds expressed their concern about packed cars and baggage in the aisles. The worry is that the obstructions could get in the way of an evacuation in the event of an emergency on the way to East Hampton or other points.

According to a notice posted on the M.T.A. website on Thursday, no luggage will be allowed in the aisles or doorway areas on the Cannonball.

Typical L.I.R.R. overhead racks can only accommodate items eight inches thick or less.

“We certainly hope that everyone who wants to board the Cannonball can do so,” Patrick A. Nowakowski, the L.I.R.R. president, said.

“If our customers leave oversized items at home, more of them will be able to enjoy a ride to the Hamptons in under two hours. We need everyone’s cooperation to make this work,” he said.

Penn Station's electronic message boards and its public address system will carry a message: “All luggage MUST fit in the overhead rack or under the seat. Luggage MUST NOT block aisles or doors.”

In a prepared statement the L.I.R.R. said, "The topic of Cannonball crowding came up at a previously scheduled unrelated meeting with the FRA yesterday. We're going to continue our productive conversations with them on this topic."

"For the rest of the summer Cannonball runs, we will take extra steps to ensure that aisles and emergency exits are kept clear of luggage, coolers and other objects that could impede access," it said.

The railroad said that it would assign extra personnel and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officers to Penn Station when the train is loading and on the train itself to ensure a safe and orderly ride.

According to Salvatore Arena, an L.I.R.R. press official, the Cannonball, which leaves Penn Station in Manhattan at 4:06 on Fridays, is made up of nine double-decker passenger cars, each with 140 seats and unrestricted standing room, and three reserved parlor cars, where standing is not allowed. Tickets for the first-come, first-seated cars are $28.25; the reserved seating cars cost $49.25 for eastbound service and $41.50 on the return trip.

In a post on the photo-sharing site Instagram on Thursday, the @mtalirr account reminded passengers to "stow all items under seats or in overhead racks."

Last year, the L.I.R.R. sold almost 252,000 tickets to passengers headed to stations between Southampton and Montauk, a 16-percent increase over the 2013 figure.

There are no limits set by either the M.T.A. or the federal government on how many people can stand in a passenger train car.

CBS2 New York was the first to report on the meeting between the L.I.R.R. and Federal Railroad Administration.