Take the MTA LIRR to Belmont Park For Thoroughbred Racing

LongIsland.com

Thoroughbred racing returns to Belmont Park on Friday, April 29 as the racetrack’s 2016 Spring-Summer meeting gets underway. And once again, the Long Island Rail Road and New York Racing Association (NYRA) have joined together ...

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LIRR service to racetrack resumes Friday, April 29 as Spring-Summer meets get underway.

Photo by: Belmont Stakes, via Facebook.

Long Island, NY - April 25, 2016 - Thoroughbred racing returns to Belmont Park on Friday, April 29 as the racetrack’s 2016 Spring-Summer meeting gets underway. And once again, the Long Island Rail Road and New York Racing Association (NYRA) have joined together to provide daily train service for racing fans.

The LIRR has issued its Belmont Park Spring Meet Timetable with train service information through May 17. Copies are available at stations and online. In all, Belmont Park will offer 54 days of racing through Sunday, July 17, including the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes – the oldest and longest race of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown - on Saturday, June 11.

New LIRR Belmont station and tracks. Photo via MTA LIRR on Facebook.

Fans making the short trip to Belmont Park aboard the LIRR will once again find a newly refurbished Belmont Park Station with its new 10-car high, train level platforms, new staircases, new lighting and a ramp that provides platform access to mobility-impaired customers. The upgrades were completed last year in time for the 2015 Belmont Stakes.

The Belmont spring/summer meet also will feature a second big event, the international themed “Stars & Stripes Festival” featuring the Grade 1, $1.25 million Belmont Derby and the $1 million Belmont Oaks on Saturday, July 9. And of course, in the weeks leading up to the Belmont Stakes, Belmont Park will be the place to watch the first two legs of the Triple Court as it hosts a Kentucky Derby simulcast on Saturday, May 7 and a Preakness Stakes simulcast on Saturday, May 21.

LIRR Service to Belmont Park on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays

Eastbound
The LIRR’s daily Belmont Special will depart from Penn Station at 10:58 a.m., making stops at Woodside at 11:10 a.m., Jamaica at 11:19 a.m. and arriving at Belmont Station at 11:33 a.m. You can still catch most of the racing day on a second train that leaves Penn Station at 11:41 a.m., arriving in Jamaica at 12:02 p.m., where customers can board a shuttle train to Belmont.

Brooklyn customers can catch the Belmont train at Jamaica by taking the 10:35 a.m. or 11:35 a.m. trains from Atlantic Terminal.

Westbound
At the end of each racing day, trains will depart Belmont Station at 3:42 p.m. and 6:25 p.m. approximately 30 minutes after the last race.

LIRR Service to Belmont Service on Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays

Eastbound
On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, the first train departs Penn Station at 11:04 a.m., stopping at Woodside at 11:16 a.m. and Jamaica at 11:27 a.m. A second train leaves Penn at 11:55 a.m. and arrives in Jamaica at 12:18 p.m. where customers change for a shuttle train to Belmont. Customers coming from Brooklyn can take the 10:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. trains from Atlantic Terminal and connect with the Belmont train at Jamaica

Westbound
At the end of each racing day, trains will depart Belmont Park at 4:41 p.m. and 6:08 p.m., approximately 30 minutes after the last race.

Purchasing Tickets in Advance
To avoid higher on-board fares and save time, customers should purchase round-trip tickets in advance. City Ticket is not valid for travel to or from Belmont Park. Belmont Package tickets are available at LIRR ticket offices as well as from gray, blue and green ticket machines at stations. Tickets are NOT sold at Belmont Station. Weekly and monthly ticket holders can use their tickets for travel to Jamaica and need only purchase an $11 round-trip package ticket at an LIRR station prior to boarding the Belmont Special to cover the fare between Belmont Park and Jamaica. Round-trip tickets are not sold aboard trains.

For More Information
Again, customers should consult the special Belmont Park Spring Meet Timetable (below) available at LIRR stations and online and at the NYRA website. They can also call 511, the New York State Travel Information line, and say: Long Island Rail Road. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, use your preferred relay service provider or the free 711 relay to reach LIRR at 511.