Ronkonkoma, NY - February 23rd, 2015 - New Long Island Rail Road timetables will go into effect on Monday, March 2 and to meet the demand for early release westbound service from Penn Station on the eve of major holidays, the LIRR is adding a train to its Ronkonkoma Branch schedule to make the early getaway even easier.
The new Ronkonkoma train will make its debut on Friday, April 3, which this year happens to be both Good Friday and the first day of Passover, leaving Penn Station at 1:46 p.m., stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, Bethpage, Farmingdale, Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood, Central Islip and arriving at Ronkonkoma Station at 3:07 p.m.
This permanent addition to Ronkonkoma Branch service will ease crowding on the regularly scheduled trains departing Penn Station at 1:14 p.m. and 2:14 p.m. and raise the total number of holiday eve getaway trains system wide from nine to 10.
The LIRR has designated the following days as early release holiday eve getaway days in 2015: March 17, April 3, May 22, July 2, September 4, September 22, November 25, December 24 and December 31.
Other timetable changes in the new schedule, which will be in effect through Sunday, May 17, are tied to track work and ongoing construction and will impact some off-peak and weekend trains on the Atlantic, Babylon and Ronkonkoma branches.
Timetable Changes Due to Track Work
The LIRR tries to schedule the work during these period to minimize the impact on weekday commuters. Track work on the following branches will impact some off-peak and weekend train schedules
Ronkonkoma Branch - Sunday, March 8 Buses will replace trains for 24 hours between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma beginning at 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, March 8 through 12:45 a.m. on Monday, March 9 for a switch replacement project in Wyandanch as well as Sperry Rail Car inspection and related signal and track maintenance along the route. Customers should expect up to 39 minutes additional travel time and should look for the Special Ronkonkoma Timetable for March 8 for exact train times. The Sperry Rail Car is a bright yellow train fitted with ultrasonic and induction test equipment and is designed to detect internal rail defects that are immediately repaired by LIRR track workers.
Port Jefferson Branch - Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15 Prep work for the installation of concrete ties will require one of two main tracks to be taken out of service between Hicksville and Syosset for 48 hours over the weekend of March 14-15 resulting in hourly instead of half-hourly service between Hicksville and Syosset and trains every 2 hours instead of the usual 90 minutes between Greenlawn and Port Jefferson. Customers should consult the Special Port Jefferson Branch Timetable for that weekend.
Port Jefferson Branch - Friday, March 20 through Monday, March 23 The installation of new concrete ties will require one of two main tracks to be taken out of service for 54 hours beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, March 20 and continuing until 4 a.m. Monday, March 23. Service to Syosset through Huntington will be reduced to hourly from half-hourly and service from Greenlawn to Port Jefferson will run every two hours rather than at the usual 90 minute intervals. Consult the Special Port Jefferson Branch Timetable for March 20-23.
Ongoing Construction Projects
The new March 2 timetables already reflect construction related schedule changes on the following branches:
Ronkonkoma Branch
A switch replacement project in Bethpage will require midday weekday single-track outage between Hicksville and Farmingdale.
Atlantic Branch
The installation of new half-ties between Jamaica Station and East New York Station will cause weekend Far Rockaway Branch and Hempstead Branch trains to run anywhere from 2 to 18 minutes earlier or later. In addition, eastbound connecting Long Beach trains will be running 3 minutes later. Minor changes have also been made to early morning weekday trains to accommodate this work.
Babylon Branch
As construction continues on a new pocket track in Massapequa, one of two main tracks will be out of service on weekends between Wantagh and Amityville resulting in adjusted travel times of 2 to 10 minutes. Five overnight Babylon Branch trains will also have adjusted travel times.
For More Information
Customers can pick up a copy of their branch timetable or any Special Branch Timetable at stations or terminals or find it online at www.mta.info/lirr. They can also contact the LIRR’s Customer Service Center by calling 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and say: Long Island Rail Road. If you are deaf or hearing impaired, use your preferred relay service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the LIRR at 511.