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Changes to LIRR City Terminal Zone service in 2023

Learn more about changes to service on the City Terminal Zone Branch, including at Jamaica and Brooklyn.

Archived page

This page describes service changes that were made in February 2023 and does not reflect subsequent service adjustments.
Plan your trip.

This information is for riders whose trips both begin and end at most city stations: Jamaica and points west. If your trip goes east of Jamaica, refer to the branch profile for the branch you take east of Jamaica. Because trains at these stations can come from any branch, use the TrainTime app to view your options. 

Jamaica

Service between Jamaica and Manhattan is very frequent, with upward of 25 trains an hour during the rush hour and 9-10 trains per hour off peak. 

Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside

Two trains per hour will stop at Kew Gardens and Forest Hills every day, alternating between Penn Station and Grand Central. During weekday rush hours, four trains will run per hour, also split between Penn Station and Grand Central.

At Woodside, depending on the time of day, there will be 7-10 trains an hour to Manhattan and 5-8 trains an hour to Jamaica, divided between Penn Station and Grand Central. 

Each train will only stop at one of the three stations. This improves reliability and flexibility by keeping the relative speed of every train in this busy corridor roughly the same. For local travel between these stations, please take the  ,  , and/or   subway lines instead.

Brooklyn

Most service between Jamaica and Atlantic Terminal will run as a shuttle between those two points. All trains will stop at Nostrand Avenue and East New York.

Some trains will still provide through service east of Jamaica, running to and from Freeport, Hempstead, or West Hempstead. Brooklyn service will run roughly every 12 minutes during weekday rush hours and every 20 minutes at other times. 

At Jamaica, trains to and from Long Island will depart from tracks 1-8. Shuttle trains will leave from tracks 11 or 12. Listen for announcements or check the station screens at Jamaica to find the right track for your train.

Service in Brooklyn runs daily from approximately 5 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. 

Hunterspoint Avenue and Long Island City

Service at Hunterspoint Avenue and Long Island City will be similar to what is running today. Trains will run only during weekday rush hours: westbound in the morning and eastbound in the afternoon.