Service Changes Effective for Two Weekends in September
Customers Encouraged to Use the Babylon Line, Ample Shuttle Service Also Being Provided
Long Island Rail Road crews will perform switch work near New Hyde Park as part of the Main Line Expansion Project during the weekends of Sept. 11-12 and 18-19. This critical infrastructure work will require both existing Main Line tracks to be taken out of service for 48 hours each weekend between New Hyde Park and Hicksville, resulting in service changes on the Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma Branches and schedule adjustments on the LIRR’s other branches.
“The LIRR has always been essential to Long Island’s economy so I cannot thank the public enough for their patience as we continue to deliver vital infrastructure improvements as part of the LIRR Main Line Expansion Project,” said LIRR President Phil Eng. “Our workforce is moving full steam ahead to deliver this project. This switch work will add redundancy, reliability and operational flexibility as we provide improved service for our customers while keeping an eye on future needs and changing ridership patterns.
There will be no train service to New Hyde Park, Merillon Avenue, Mineola, Carle Place, or Westbury. All service to and from Bethpage Station will provided by the shuttle trains between Babylon and Hicksville.
The LIRR urges customers to download and use the revamped LIRR TrainTime app, the best source of up-to-date and real-time train information including the new chat function that LIRR customers can use to chat in real-time directly with LIRR customer service staff. The app is available for a free download on both iOS Apple devices and Android.
Further service details follow.
Westbound from Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma Branches
Westbound customers boarding at stations east of Hicksville will have hourly service from Ronkonkoma to Hicksville. At Hicksville, customers will board a diesel shuttle to Bethpage and Babylon. At Babylon, there will be connecting westbound electric train service to Penn Station.
Oyster Bay Branch trains will terminate at East Williston, where customers will find buses providing service to Hempstead for enhanced connecting train service every 30 minutes to points west.
Customers are advised to use the Montauk, Long Beach, Far Rockaway, Port Washington, Hempstead, and West Hempstead branches, where normal weekend service intervals will be provided on adjusted schedules. Semi-express trains have been added between Penn Station and Babylon to connect with the shuttle train service to and from Hicksville.
Eastbound to Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma Branches
Customers traveling from New York City to any station between Hicksville and Port Jefferson or between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma will be able to board express trains to Babylon for a connecting diesel shuttle train operating between Babylon and Hicksville via the Central Branch, then transfer at Hicksville for continuing eastbound service.
Customers looking to travel to Bethpage will be able to board electric express service to Babylon for a connection to a diesel shuttle train that will stop at Bethpage on its way to Hicksville.
Customers looking to travel to stations on the Oyster Bay Branch are advised to board enhanced train service to Hempstead for a bus shuttle to East Williston, where train service will be available to all Oyster Bay Branch stations.
Other Branches
There will be normal weekend service intervals on the Montauk, Long Beach, Far Rockaway, Port Washington and West Hempstead Branches and between Ronkonkoma and Greenport, but on adjusted schedules. Train departure times are available in the LIRR Train Time and MYmta apps, and customers can view branch timetables on the web below:
Babylon Branch
Far Rockaway Branch
Hempstead Branch
Long Beach Branch
Montauk Branch
Oyster Bay Branch
Port Jefferson Branch
Port Washington Branch
Ronkonkoma Branch
West Hempstead Branch
Many Channels for Services Updates
Information about the service changes noted in this press release and all planned service changes is available through the LIRR’s real-time service information sources:
LIRR TrainTime app - The LIRR encourages customers to download and use the newly revamped LIRR TrainTime app, the best source of real-time train information including where a particular train is currently located, track assignments, seating capacity, schedules, and a host of other helpful tools, including push notifications and the new chat function that LIRR customers can use to chat in real-time directly with LIRR customer service staff. The app is available for free on both iOS and Android devices.
Email and text message service updates – Customers are urged to sign up to receive the alerts by visiting MyMTAAlerts.com. To avoid unwanted messages, a user can tailor the messages to the specific branch, and the specific times of day.
Social Media – Twitter users can follow @LIRR to receive updates of a similar nature to the email and text alerts, shortened to fit Twitter’s format.
The above communications channels can be accessed while at home or on the go. For customers who are located at stations, the LIRR will post the latest service updates on digital signs at station platforms and will make audio announcements over public address systems, and on-board announcements made by train crews.
For those who prefer the telephone, information is available from the LIRR’s Customer Service Center by calling 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and saying: “Long Island Rail Road” Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the LIRR at 511.