Changes to LIRR Hempstead Branch service in 2023

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

Elmont-UBS Arena will become a full-time station served by Hempstead Branch trains throughout the day, 365 days a year. On weekday evenings and during most of the day on weekends, most Huntington and Ronkonkoma trains will also stop at Elmont-UBS Arena, providing four or more trains per hour at the station. These stops will be part of the regular schedule, regardless of whether there is an event at UBS Arena. 

Ten trains will run during the morning and afternoon rush hour, an increase of three in the morning and four in the afternoon from today’s service. Most of these trains will run to and from Manhattan (split between Penn Station and Grand Central), with one train each way providing direct service to Atlantic Terminal. All trains will stop at Jamaica. 

In the morning, some westbound trains will not stop at Elmont-UBS Arena, Queens Village, or Hollis. Ronkonkoma or Huntington trains will make these stops instead. 

Trains will run roughly every hour between Hempstead and Grand Central, making all stops. 

At Floral Park, a Huntington train will make an additional stop each hour, providing a direct ride to Penn Station. On weekends, this Huntington train will also stop at Hollis and Queens Village, providing two trains an hour at these stations – double what we’re running today. 

Some Huntington and Ronkonkoma trains will stop at Hollis and/or Queens Village stations, providing additional service during the weekday reverse peak.