Long Island, NY - August 20, 2015 - MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is asking customers on the Friday afternoon Cannonball – the popular train from Penn Station to the Hamptons and Montauk – to help ensure a safe and comfortable ride by leaving oversized luggage at home and stowing all items in overhead racks or under seats.
To maintain safe conditions, the LIRR will designate some storage areas on the Cannonball for luggage. No luggage will be permitted in aisles or doorways. The upper and lower level seating areas have overhead luggage racks that have 8 inches of clearance between the rack and the ceiling and measure 16 inches from the back wall to the end of the rack.
The Cannonball is one of 10 Friday trains to Montauk, but customers who appreciate its speed have made it the most popular train to begin summer weekends on Long Island. The LIRR cannot add more cars to the train or run additional expresses because of equipment and scheduling limitations, and must sometimes limit boarding at Penn Station before the Cannonball departs.
“We certainly hope that everyone who wants to board the Cannonball can do so,” said LIRR President Patrick A. Nowakowski. “If our customers leave oversized items at home, more of them will be able to enjoy a ride to the Hamptons in under two hours. We need everyone’s cooperation to make this work.”
The LIRR is spreading this message to customers on its website, its Facebook page and its Twitter feed as well as in email and text service alerts, on its electronic message boards and its public address system with this message:
“All luggage MUST fit in the overhead rack or under the seat. Luggage MUST NOT block aisles or doors.”
Extra LIRR crew members and MTA Police officers will be on hand in Penn Station to ensure a smooth process for the first-come, first-serve seating process. The LIRR’s nine other trains leaving Penn Station on Friday for the Hamptons and Montauk include an early bird special at 12:39 a.m., with continuing departures at 7:49 a.m., 11:01 a.m., 1:43 p.m. 4:19 p.m., 5:09 p.m. 5:51 p.m., 7:11 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
For More Information
For further details on LIRR service to the Hamptons and Montauk consult the LIRR’s regular Montauk Branch schedule available at all terminals and stations as well as on the web, and clicking on Montauk under Branch Timetables, which links here. At the LIRR website, you can also find out more about the LIRR’s Hamptons Reserve Service. Customers can also download the LIRR’s official TrainTime App from the Apple Store or Google Play Store. To contact the railroad by phone, call 511 and say “LIRR” or “Long Island Rail Road” to be connected to a customer service representative.