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LIRR to Adopt New Schedules May 22 as Crews Perform Track and Infrastructure Renewal and Upgrades in Brooklyn and Long Island South Shore

Long Island Rail Road
Updated April 24, 2023 11:30 a.m.
LIRR Train

Weekday Off-Peak Schedules Being Adjusted for 3½ Months During Midday and Overnight Periods on Three Branches

New Schedules to Be Shown in TrainTime App and PDF Schedules

Schedules for Other Branches Not Changing Significantly

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that crews will perform Long Island Rail Road track and infrastructure renewal and upgrades in Brooklyn and along the South Shore of Long Island this summer. Crews will replace tracks in the City Terminal Zone between Atlantic Terminal and East New York, renew third rails on the Babylon Branch between Amityville and Babylon and install signal infrastructure on the Montauk Branch between Babylon and Sayville.

In order to accommodate the work, new LIRR schedules taking effect on Monday, May 22, will adjust train departure times during weekday midday off-peak periods on the Babylon Branch and between Atlantic Terminal and East New York, and during weekday overnights on the Montauk Branch between Babylon and Sayville. Train schedules on other branches are not changing significantly but customers should always plan ahead by using the TrainTime app or mta.info. The timetables will last through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4.

“The last few years have seen an extraordinary pace of activity on infrastructure upgrades across the LIRR as crews opened Main Line Third Track, Grand Central Madison, and a record pace of station renewals, bridge upgrades and railroad crossing eliminations,” said Catherine Rinaldi, Interim President of the Long Island Rail Road and President of Metro-North Railroad. “With these real results notched, we are keeping the pedal to the metal and maintaining the same pace of activity to ensure our existing infrastructure remains in a state of good repair across Long Island. That will require some temporary schedule adjustments that the railroad has worked hard to minimize.”

Babylon Branch

Crews will renew third rail between Amityville and Babylon and perform additional track maintenance activities during weekday off-peak mid-day periods and one of the Babylon Branch’s two tracks will be out of service during these times.

Scheduled train departure times will be adjusted approximately 20 minutes earlier. Some Babylon Branch trains will terminate/originate at Massapequa, where transfer opportunities will be available for customers travelling to or from Massapequa Park, Amityville, Copiague, Lindenhurst or Babylon.

City Terminal Zone

Crews will replace tracks and perform additional track maintenance activities between Atlantic Terminal and East New York during weekday off-peak mid-day periods, and one of the Atlantic Branch’s two tracks will be out of service during these times.

Scheduled departure times for trains from Jamaica to Atlantic Terminal will be adjusted up to 18 minutes earlier and some trains from Atlantic Terminal to Jamaica will be adjusted up to 11 minutes later, while others will be adjusted up to six minutes earlier. Service at Nostrand Avenue and East New York will be reduced from three trains an hour to two trains an hour.

Montauk Branch

Crews will perform signal system upgrades by building trackside signal control nodes between Babylon and Sayville during overnight periods and one of the Montauk Branch’s two tracks through this area will be out of service during these times. Scheduled departure times for train #2, currently the 12:40 a.m. departure from Jamaica, due into Montauk at 3:34 a.m., and train #3, currently the 12:41 a.m. departure from Montauk, due into Jamaica at 3:32 a.m., will be adjusted approximately 20 minutes later.