North America’s largest commuter rail system shuts down as workers strike

NEW YORK (AP) — The Long Island Rail Road, North America’s largest commuter rail system, was shut down Saturday after unionized workers went on strike for the first time in three decades.

The railroad, which serves New York City and its eastern suburbs, ceased operations just after midnight after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job.

The unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the public agency that runs the railroad, have been negotiating for months on a new contract. President Donald Trump’s administration tried to broker a deal, but the unions were legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Kevin Sexton of the National Vice President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said no new negotiations have been scheduled.

“We’re far apart at this point,” Sexton said early Saturday. “We are truly sorry that we are in this situation.”

MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the agency “gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay” and that to him it was apparent the unions always intended to walk out.

The walkout, the first for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994, promises to cause headaches for sports fans planning to see the Yankees and Mets battle this weekend or to watch the Knicks’ playoff run at Madison Square Garden, which is located directly above the railroad’s Penn Station hub in Manhattan.

If the shutdown continues into the work week, the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system to and from work each weekday will be forced to find alternative routes to the city from its Long Island suburbs.

For many, that likely means navigating the region’s notoriously congested roads.

“People are still going to commute, but if everybody starts driving now, the traffic is only going to get worse,” said Rich Piccola, an accountant who commutes into the city as he waited at Penn Station for a train home Thursday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, blamed the Trump administration for cutting mediation short and pushing the negotiations toward a strike. Trump, a Republican, responded on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that he had nothing to do with the strike and “never even heard about it until this morning.”

“No, Kathy, it’s your fault, and now looking over the facts, you should not have allowed this to happen,” Trump wrote, renewing his endorsement of Long Island politician Bruce Blakeman, who's challenging Hochul’s reelection bid. “If you can’t solve it, let me know, and I’ll show you how to properly get things done.”

Hochul urged Long Islanders to work from home if possible. The MTA has said it will provide limited shuttle buses to New York City subway stations, but that contingency plan wasn't envisioned to handle all the riders the system normally carries on a workday.

And while remote work options greatly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers still need to show up in person, said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, a commuter advocacy group.

“You work in construction, you work in the healthcare industry, you work at a school or you’re about to graduate from school, that’s not always possible,” she said of telecommuting. “People need to get where they need to go.”

The most recent contract talks have stalled on the question of worker’s salaries and health care premiums.

The MTA has said the unions’ initial demands would have led to fare increases and impacted contract negotiations with other unionized workers.

The unions, which represent locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and other train workers, have said more substantial raises were warranted to help workers keep up with inflation and rising living costs.

Duane O’Connor, who was picketing on Saturday morning at Penn Station, said that while he regrets the impact on commuters, workers are simply asking for fair wages.

“I feel terrible. Terrible. This is going to hurt. This is going to hurt the island, this is going to hurt the city ... All we are asking for is fair wages. Record inflation the last few years. Our contract goes back three years, it’s not going forward, so we went through those record inflationary years and they’re trying to lowball us,” he said.

Some riders, while sympathetic to the union’s affordability concerns, worry they’ll bear the brunt of any pay raises.

If the unions get the pay increases they are looking for, "it will come at the expense of our riders who will see next year’s 4% fare increase doubled to 8%,” Gerard Bringmann, chair of the LIRR Commuter Council, a rider advocacy group, said in a statement. “Like the union workers, we too are burdened by the increase in the cost of living here on Long Island.”

With Hochul running for reelection, the pressure might be on the MTA to strike a deal to end the shutdown, said William Dwyer, a labor relations expert at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where commuter rail workers staged a three-day strike last year.

“She’s up for reelection, and Long Island is a critical vote for her,” he said. “So if there’s a significant fare hike, that does not bode well for her on Election Day.”

Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

Long Island Rail Road workers walk on the picket line outside of Penn Station on the first day of their strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Service suspended signs are posted inside Penn Station on the first day of a Long Island Rail Road strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Service suspended signs are posted inside Penn Station on the first day of a Long Island Rail Road strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Service suspended signs are posted inside Penn Station on the first day of a Long Island Rail Road strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

A pedestrian walks past closed off tracks inside Penn Station on the first day of a Long Island Rail Road strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

A sign warns commuters of a potential Long Island Rail Road strike at Penn Station in New York, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A sign warns commuters of a potential Long Island Rail Road strike at Penn Station in New York, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A sign warns commuters of a potential Long Island Rail Road strike at Penn Station in New York, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government is in turmoil and the man many think could save it isn't even eligible for the job.

Not yet, at least, though a path is now open for Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, to try to unseat beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

It’s far from a sure thing, as there would be big hurdles to clear.

Burnham would first need to return to Parliament, where he could then try to mount a challenge to Starmer's leadership.

Starmer, who has vowed to lead on, has been on the ropes, facing plummeting approval ratings and questions about his judgment. His unpopularity was undoubtedly one of the key reasons why Labour took a beating in U.K.-wide local elections this month. One key Cabinet member has already resigned, and more than a fifth of the party's lawmakers in the House of Commons are urging him to stand down.

Burnham, 56, is seen as Starmer's biggest would-be rival, partly because he's perceived to be to the political left of the prime minister.

The mayor is known as the “King of the North,” and his Labour backers will hope that moniker reaps rewards.

The allusion to the popular Jon Snow character in “Game of Thrones” is a sign of respect earned for Burnham's fierce backing of northern England, its working class culture and heritage. It projects an image that he’s not part of the London political establishment. For many northerners, that counts for a lot.

His three sizable mayoral victories since 2017 show he can win.

But he hasn't always. Burnham, who was in the Cabinet of Gordon Brown’s government from 2007 to 2010, ran twice for the leadership of the Labour Party and lost badly — first in 2010 and then in 2015. Looking back on those campaigns, he was pretty stiff.

Ending his 16-year tenure in Parliament yielded a more polished performer and a sleeker look. Suits and ties were largely replaced by a smart-casual look, often paired with sneakers.

That may seem superficial, but it broke down barriers with voters.

More importantly, his stint as mayor made him a more effective operator and, arguably, the best communicator in Labour’s ranks.

His standing grew during the COVID-19 pandemic when he became the de facto spokesman for northern England by constantly haranguing Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson over what he called a “London-centric” approach to the crisis.

Burnham is ready to quit his job as mayor if he wins a special parliamentary election in the constituency of Makerfield, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Manchester.

His route back to the House of Commons opened up Thursday when Labour lawmaker Josh Simons, said he would step down to make way for Burnham. Though Burnham was blocked from running for a seat that came up earlier this year, Labour’s executive body said Friday he could do so in the special election expected within weeks.

It will likely be a bruising battle in one of, if not the most, consequential special elections in U.K. history. Burnham acknowledged as much.

“I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times,” he said when announcing his intention to run.

Simons secured the seat by about 5,400 votes two years ago, but that was in Labour’s landslide victory of 2024 that swept Conservatives out after 14 years.

Times have changed dramatically, and Labour’s recent battering came at the hands of the ascendant anti-immigrant Reform UK party on the right and, to a lesser-extent, the eco-populist Greens on the left. All the wards in the Makerfield constituency were won by Reform in the local races.

Reform’s leader, Nigel Farage, said the party would “throw absolutely everything at it.”

Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said Burnham can capitalize on his “big name” reputation and as someone who gets things done.

“There will be a lot of people who would like to see him get back into Parliament, not least to take down Keir Starmer,” Bale said. “In some ways, it’s a useful test for Burnham because if he can’t beat Reform in that constituency, then quite frankly, he’s not much use to the Labour Party as leader.”

Labour has never ousted one of its leaders while in government, but there is a process.

If Burnham wins, he could either have to trigger a leadership contest or join one. To do so, a member of Parliament needs the support of a fifth — or 81 — of Labour's 403 members. Starmer, who has vowed to fight on, would automatically be entitled to defend his position.

Wes Streeting, who resigned as Starmer’s health secretary on Thursday and has backed Burnham's candidacy in Makerfield, confirmed he will be a candidate in the likely leadership election.

In a speech Saturday, Streeting again castigated Starmer for failing to meet the moment in government, and said that the brewing battle should be a "proper contest where all candidates can put their best foot forward.”

“The voters did more than send Labour a message last week, they issued a warning: that unless we change course, we risk being the handmaidens of Nigel Farage and the breakup of the United Kingdom," said Streeting, who also backed the U.K.'s return to the EU.

Others said to be considering doing so are former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, defense minister Al Carns and former party leader Ed Miliband.

For now, all permutations go through Makerfield and that result could have a seismic impact.

“Were Burnham to win the by-election, it’s unlikely that Keir Starmer will actually stand in that leadership contest,” Bale said. “If Burnham fails, then Starmer might feel he has a chance against Streeting and Rayner.”

Associated Press writer Danica Kirka contributed to this report.

FILE - This photo combination shows, from left, Wes Streeting in Liverpool, Sept. 30, 2025, Angela Rayner in Shoreditch, London, June 5, 2025, Andy Burnham in Liverpool, Sept. 29, 2025, Shabana Mahmood in Liverpool, Sept. 29, 2025 and Ed Miliband in Hamburg, Germany, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super, Kirsty Wigglesworth, Martin Meissner, File)

FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham meet with school children at a primary school in Ashton-under-Lyne, north-west England, Monday April 13, 2026. (Paul Ellis/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham meet with school children at a primary school in Ashton-under-Lyne, north-west England, Monday April 13, 2026. (Paul Ellis/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester, arrives a fringe meeting during the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, England, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)