Long Island Rail Road service was suspended systemwide at midnight Saturday after workers represented by five unions walked off the job following a breakdown in contract negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The strike, the first on the LIRR since 1994, halted all train service, including the limited service on the Main Line east of Ronkonkoma that serves Riverhead and the North Fork.
While Riverhead is not heavily dependent on the railroad for daily commuting into New York City, the shutdown comes at the start of the busy summer travel season, when weekend and leisure ridership typically increases…