Major LIRR schedule changes rolling out this month
LIRR officials said the changes are necessary as crews work to complete the construction of a third track between Floral Park and Hicksville by December, and advance other work. Above, a train in Copiague in 2019.
Credit: Newsday / John Paraskevas
Major schedule changes are in store for many Long Island Rail Road commuters later this month, as the LIRR performs track work for some major-capacity expansion projects.
The changes, which take effect May 23, include significant shifts in weekend and weekday time tables.
Westbound Ronkonkoma branch trains, and eastbound Oyster Bay trains, will depart up to 25 minutes later during weekday middays.
Some weekday trains will be removed from the schedule, including the 11:21 a.m. train from Farmingdale to Penn Station, and the 10:25 p.m. train from Penn to Huntington.
On weekends, trains between Penn Station and Huntington will run once an hour, and once every two hours to and from Port Jefferson.
Other changes include the restoration of the 6:07 p.m. weekday train from Penn to Babylon, and the addition of a new 7:37 a.m. train from Jamaica to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn.
LIRR officials said the changes are necessary as crews work to complete the construction of a 10-mile-long third track between Floral Park and Hicksville by December, and advance other work, include capacity improvements at Jamaica.
“It is always one of our goals to provide the most reliable service possible whenever we are performing major infrastructure work,” LIRR interim president Catherine Rinaldi said. “These service adjustments accommodate the final stages of work as we reach the homestretch of completing the LIRR’s most transformative projects, the Main Line Expansion Project and East Side Access. The schedule modifications optimize availability for crews to complete tasks, while minimizing disruptions to scheduled service.”
The Third Track project also will cause some schedule changes this weekend, Friday and Saturday, on the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay branches.
The LIRR also announced the return of special summer trains on the Long Beach, Montauk, and Ronkonkoma branches beginning Memorial Day weekend.
Full schedule information is available at www.mta.info/lirr and through the LIRR’s TrainTime app.
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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