The LIRR, which has had five strikes in the previous 35 years, the most recent spanning three days in June 1994, is an economic engine for the region and a life-blood for Long Island. The railroad also maintains 24 stations in Queens and Brooklyn, from which 37,000 riders board morning Manhattan-bound trains each day. A strike would have cost the region $50 million per day in lost economic activity, according to a report from state Controller Thomas DiNapoli.