LIRR serving up more train stops for U.S. Open
Beginning Monday and continuing through Sept. 6, three additional morning peak Port Washington LIRR trains will stop at the Mets-Willets Point station. Credit: Steven Ryan
The LIRR is adding extra stops at the Mets-Willets Point station ahead of the U.S. Open, which kicks off next week in Queens.
Starting this Monday for U.S. Open Fan Week, three morning peak Port Washington trains will stop during the 8 a.m. hour at the Long Island Rail Road station near the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The additional train service ends Sept. 6.
After 9:30 a.m., and on weekends, all westbound Port Washington trains have a scheduled stop at Mets-Willets Point. The U.S. Open kicks off Aug. 26 and ends Sept. 8.
Customers can also take a 19-minute train ride directly to the station in Flushing Meadows from Grand Central Madison or Penn Station via the Port Washington branch, according to the MTA. Fares are $5 off-peak and $7 during peak hours.
Tennis fans traveling from Long Island on other LIRR branches can change trains at Woodside, which is seven minutes from Mets-Willets Point.
New York City Transit plans to run five extra subway trains from Mets-Willets Point after the last match daily at Arthur Ashe Stadium, starting Aug. 26. Extra service will also operate during concurrent Mets home games, with supplemental trains running express to 74th St-Broadway.
Passengers with disabilities can arrange pickups and drop-offs via public transportation near the Champions' Entry of the National Tennis Center a day or two in advance by calling Access-A-Ride at 877-337-2017 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
City officials have urged the more than 1 million fans expected during the U.S. Open events to take public transportation.
U.S. Open Fan Week is a mostly free week of activities running this week ahead of the tournament itself.
Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
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