Long Island, NY - May 19th, 2014 - New MTA Long Island Rail Road timetables are going into effect system-wide on Monday, May 19. With Memorial Day weekend approaching, the LIRR has already resumed weekend service to and from Greenport and the North Fork of Suffolk County where the beaches and vineyards are popular tourist destinations for day-trippers and vacationers alike.
Trains to Greenport depart Penn Station twice each weekday and now twice on Saturday and Sunday. Starting Friday, May 23, and each Friday through October 10, the 3:55 a.m. train from Penn Station (with a change of trains at Ronkonkoma) arrives in Greenport at 6:45 a.m.
Our traditional extra summer service to Montauk and the Hamptons on the South Shore is also reflected in the new timetables, along with extra weekend service to and from Long Beach and Freeport for beach lovers. The new timetables will remain in effect through Monday, September 1, 2014 and reflect the LIRR’s commitment to restore service based upon customer demand.
Summer Service Enhancements
Montauk Branch
Highlighting the Montauk Branch summer schedule is the seasonal debut of the Cannonball, on Friday afternoon May 23, originating from Penn Station at 4:06 p.m. for the second consecutive year. First stop is Westhampton at 5:41 p.m., then Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton and Montauk. That’s a one-seat ride from Midtown to Montauk with reserved seating available for an extra charge. To complete the round-trip, the LIRR will also offer the westbound Cannonball on Sunday evenings, providing customers from stations Montauk through Westhampton with an express run to Jamaica and then on to Penn.
Long Beach Branch
The new timetables include the return of two summer-only weekend trains to and from Long Beach. The extra summer trains will run on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays starting Saturday, May 24 through Monday, September 1, Labor Day. They are:
- The 10:31 a.m. express from Penn Station, arriving Long Beach at 11:17 a.m.
- The 4:55 p.m. from Long Beach, stopping at Jamaica, arriving Penn Station at 5:48 p.m.
Timetables Changes Due to Track Maintenance & Construction
The new train schedules also reflect the LIRR’s effort to keep its infrastructure in good repair. Changes have been made to accommodate construction projects and track programs affecting off-peak trains on the Babylon, Long Beach, Oyster Bay, Montauk and Ronkonkoma branches.
Babylon Branch
One of two tracks will be out of service overnight on weeknights between Amityville and Babylon for track resurfacing through. As a result, departure times for 35 overnight Babylon trains and their connections will be adjusted between 15 minutes earlier and 13 minutes later. These overnight Babylon Branch schedule adjustments are reflected in the May 19 timetable and will be in effect starting Monday, May 19 through September 1.
Long Beach Branch
One of two tracks will be out of service between Valley Stream and Long Beach on weekends for switch replacement work. Departure times for Long Beach trains and their connections will be adjusted between 7 minutes earlier and 15 minutes later. In addition, eastbound Long Beach trains will no longer connect with eastbound Montauk trains. Freeport trains will connect with the eastbound Montauk trains on weekend mornings to alleviate crowding on Long Beach trains. These weekend schedule adjustments on the Long Beach Branch are reflected in the May 19 timetable and will be in effect beginning Saturday, May 24. This particular project will continue until the implementation of the November 17th Timetable.
Montauk Branch
Single track will be out of service between Bethpage and Babylon Mondays through Thursdays, July 7 through August 28 for mechanized tie replacement. Montauk trains will be rerouted to the south shore and operate via the Babylon Branch while new railroad ties are installed. Other than a change of scenery related to the rerouting of trains along the south shore, midday customers will not experience any significant change in service. This project will be completed with the implementation of the September 2 timetable.
Oyster Bay Branch
Buses will replace trains between Mineola and Oyster Bay on the weekends of May 31-June 1 and June 14-15 to accommodate concrete tie installation work. Each 48-hour outage will begin at 12:40 a.m. Saturday and continue through 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. On both weekends, normal train service will resume in time for Monday morning’s rush hour. Oyster Bay Branch service will be affected as follows:
Westbound
Customers at stations Oyster Bay through East Williston will board buses bound for Mineola, then connect to train service for all points west. Buses and vans will depart up to 51 minutes later than normal train times. Please plan for up to 27 minutes additional travel time.
Eastbound
Customers will board alternate trains to Mineola where they will transfer to buses and vans for travel to stations East Williston through Oyster Bay. Please plan for up to 33 minutes added travel time.
This project will be complete after the June 14th outage.
Ronkonkoma Branch
One of two tracks between Hicksville and Farmingdale will be out of service during weekday off-peak hours for mechanized tie replacement. Two westbound off-peak trains from Farmingdale will depart 17 minutes later and some midday off peak Main Line trains have one minute added their schedule as trains travel at slower speeds through the work area as crews replace railroad ties. These weekday off-peak schedule adjustments will be in effect from Monday, May 19 through Friday, August 29. This work ends with the implementation of the September 2nd timetable.
For More Information
For specific train times, please pick up a copy of the new May 19 – September 1, 2014 branch timetables. Schedules can also be found on the LIRR website at www.mta.info/lirr or customers may call the LIRR Customer Service Center at 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and say “Long Island Rail Road,” when prompted. The deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred relay service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the LIRR at 511.