Changes to LIRR Far Rockaway Branch service in 2023

Grand Central will become the new primary western terminal for Far Rockaway Branch service. We hope that this new all-day direct service to Manhattan will benefit most riders on the branch and help to attract new ones. Riders to and from Brooklyn can change at Jamaica, where trains will run approximately every 12 minutes during peak hours and every 20 minutes on weekends.  

There will be 11 morning and 10 afternoon trains, an increase of three in each rush hour over today’s service. These trains be evenly split between terminating at Penn Station and Grand Central. All trains will stop at Jamaica. 

All Long Beach Branch trains will stop at Valley Stream, providing a total of 23 morning and 19 afternoon trains. That’s an increase of 7 morning and 6 trains from current service. West Hempstead Branch trains will no longer stop at Valley Stream. 

At Locust Manor, Laurelton, and Rosedale, each station will see 12-14 trains the morning and afternoon. That's roughly 50% more than current service.

Trains will run roughly every hour between Far Rockaway and Manhattan, making all stops. Weekday trains will run to Grand Central and weekend trains will run to Penn Station. 

At Valley Stream, a Long Beach train will make an additional stop each hour, providing a direct ride to Penn Station on weekdays and Grand Central on weekends. On weekends, this Long Beach train will also stop at Locust Manor, Laurelton, and Rosedale, providing two trains an hour at these stations — double what we’re running today.