LIRR Adds Service for Fans After Madison Square Garden Events

Rangers, Knicks Games and Concerts to Have More Post-Event Service

Changes Made to Increase Customer Comfort and Accommodate Trackwork Across LIRR
System

See New LIRR Timetables

Following a year of service increases and the opening of an East Side terminal, MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) today announced service changes beginning Monday, March 4.

In response to customer feedback and to optimize service, the railroad has eliminated some trains with low ridership and their cars will be reallocated to create two new trains from Penn Station after events at Madison Square Garden, giving riders additional service options and more space. These trains supplement the added late-night service implemented in the fall of 2023.

The schedules effective March 4 also include service adjustments to accommodate track work across the system. Among those projects is the next phase of a major reconfiguration of Harold Interlocking, which is a complex of switches located in Sunnyside, Queens, where LIRR tracks to Penn Station and Grand Central Madison interconnect with Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to New England, and nearly 800 trains travel through per weekday. The work will improve reliability for both LIRR and Amtrak riders and prepare infrastructure for the upcoming reconstruction of the East River tunnels.

“The LIRR extensively studied the new ridership patterns brought on by the new east side terminal as well as customer feedback to create updated timetables that meet both operational and ridership needs,” said Acting LIRR President Rob Free. “The new schedules directly address some customer requests; more comfortable trips home following events at MSG.”

Many trains, including during peak hours, will depart Penn Station up to five minutes earlier or later. Stops at Woodside, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, and St. Albans have also changed.

Major weekday changes are outlined below, and the trains are referenced by their current departure times.

Detailed schedules to help riders plan their trips are available on the TrainTime app and the LIRR’s schedules page.

The LIRR recommends that all riders check for possible minor changes that may affect their departure and/or transfer times.

Babylon Branch 

• The 12:37 p.m. train from Penn Station to Babylon will start in Jamaica due to Amtrak track work. Customers should take the 12:30 p.m. Ronkonkoma train from Penn Station and change at Jamaica.
• The 5:28 p.m. train from Penn Station to Babylon will leave from Grand Central due to Amtrak track work. Customers should board the 5:25 p.m. Ronkonkoma train from Penn Station and change at Jamaica.
• The 6:12 p.m. train from Atlantic Terminal to Freeport will no longer run due to low ridership. For service to Jamaica, customers should board the 6:10 p.m. train from Atlantic Terminal. Those seeking service to Freeport can board trains at 5:57 p.m. or 6:20 p.m. and change to a Wantagh-bound train at Jamaica.
• The 6:47 p.m. train from Grand Central to Wantagh will instead leave from Atlantic Terminal due to Amtrak track work. Customers should board the 6:44 p.m. train to Long Beach and change at Jamaica.
• The 7:32 p.m. train from Penn Station to Wantagh will no longer run due to low ridership. Customers should take the 7:47 p.m. train to Babylon instead. This equipment will become a new train leaving Penn Station at 10:14 p.m., stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, and all stops to Babylon. This new train fills the one-hour gap in direct service from Penn Station to Babylon and relieves crowding on the 10:49 p.m. after MSG events.

As the track access phase of ADA work at Amityville, Copiague, Lindenhurst has finished, changes to weekday midday schedules will revert to previous service patterns and direct service to Grand Central will resume from stations east of Massapequa.

Weekend service at Bellmore, Massapequa, and Amityville will be reduced to two trains per hour to improve service reliability and on-time performance.

Far Rockaway and Long Beach Branches 

• In response to customer requests for more through service to Brooklyn, a new train will depart Island Park at 7:48 a.m. and make all stops to Atlantic Terminal.
• The 7:48 a.m. train from Far Rockaway to Penn Station will no longer stop at Locust Manor, Laurelton, or Rosedale.
• The 4:46 p.m. train from Atlantic Terminal to Far Rockaway will no longer stop at Locust Manor, Laurelton, or Rosedale to accommodate Amtrak track work. For service to those stations, customers should board the Long Beach train at Penn Station at 4:49 p.m.
• Due to customer feedback and to reduce congestion, the 5:20 p.m. train from Far Rockaway will run to Atlantic Terminal.
• The 5:34 p.m. train from Penn Station to Far Rockaway will leave from Grand Central and add stops at Locust Manor, Laurelton, and Rosedale due to Amtrak track work. Those customers should take the 5:34 p.m. Long Beach train from Penn.
• The 5:37 p.m. train from Penn Station to Long Beach will now depart Penn three minutes earlier at 5:34 p.m. and no longer stop at Locust Manor, Laurelton, or Rosedale due to Amtrak track work.

Ronkonkoma Branch 

• The 4:21 p.m. train from Penn Station to Farmingdale will no longer run due to low ridership. Eliminating this train will help reduce congestion on the Main Line. To accommodate customers, the 4:10 p.m. train from Penn Station will add stops at New Hyde Park, Merillon Avenue, Mineola, Carle Place, and Westbury and the 4:34 p.m. train from Penn Station will add stops at Bethpage, Farmingdale, Wyandanch, and Deer Park.
• The 4:57 p.m. train from Grand Central to Central Islip will no longer run due to low ridership. The 4:54 p.m. train from Grand Central to Ronkonkoma will make the combined stops of both trains.
• The 7:14 p.m. train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma will no longer run due to low ridership. This equipment will become a new train leaving Penn Station at 10:58 p.m., stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, and all stops to Ronkonkoma except Pinelawn and helps relieve crowding after MSG events.

Buses will replace trains between Ronkonkoma and Greenport from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays through mid-May due to rail replacement and grade crossing renewal between Ronkonkoma and Riverhead.

West Hempstead Branch 

• The 5:36 p.m. train from Grand Central to West Hempstead will leave from Atlantic Terminal due to Amtrak track work. Customers should take the Seaford train at 5:30 p.m. and change at Jamaica.

On weekdays, midday and evening West Hempstead Branch trains will run to and from Penn Station instead of Atlantic Terminal to improve reliability and relieve any delays that may be caused by multiple track work projects across the system.

Brooklyn Service 
Starting at 9 p.m. westbound and 10 p.m. eastbound on weeknights, service between Jamaica and Brooklyn will be reduced to two trains per hour, from three, due to track work between East New York and Atlantic Terminal. The LIRR will provide additional trains after select events at Barclay’s Center.