October 19-22: Westbound Trains To Bypass Kew Gardens, Forest Hills & Woodside Stations
From Monday, October 19 through Thursday, October 22, westbound Main Line trains (excluding Port Washington Branch trains) will bypass Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside stations as we continue installation and testing of our new Positive Train Control (PTC) system, a safety-enhancing technology. This service change will be in effect during the following hours:
- 8:00 PM, Monday, October 19 through 3:00 AM, Tuesday, October 20
- 8:00 PM, Tuesday, October 20 through 3:00 AM, Wednesday, October 21
- 8:00 PM, Wednesday, October 21 through 3:00 AM, Thursday, October 22
- 8:00 PM, Thursday, October 22 through 3:00 AM, Friday, October 23
Westbound customers planning to exit at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside can remain on the train until it reaches Penn Station, and then head east on the next eastbound train at no additional charge. Eastbound service to/from Woodside, Forest Hills and Kew Gardens is unaffected and operating normally. As an alternative, NYC Transit will cross-honor LIRR tickets for substitute bus and subway service as follows:
At Woodside Station between 8 PM and 3 AM: Take a Manhattan-bound Port Washington Branch train.
At Woodside Station between 8 PM and 1 AM: Take a Manhattan-bound train.
At Jamaica Station between 8 PM and 1 AM: Take a Manhattan-bound train on Hillside Avenue & Sutphin Blvd., as the train is currently not operating at Sutphin Blvd/Archer Ave/JFK Airport. From Jamaica Station, walk north on Sutphin Blvd. for approximately 10 minutes to reach the train stop. The train has station stops in Kew Gardens and Forest Hills. If you are traveling to Woodside, continue to Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue, then exit and transfer to a Manhattan-bound train.
At Jamaica Station between 1 AM and 3 AM: Transfer to the Q60 bus, which stops at the southeast corner of Sutphin Boulevard & Archer Avenue and operates to Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside along Queens Blvd.
At Kew Gardens & Forest Hills between 8 PM and 1 AM: Take a Manhattan-bound / train at the nearby Kew Gardens/Union Tpke or Forest Hills/71st Ave subway stops.
At Kew Gardens & Forest Hills between 1 AM and 3 PM: Take the Q60 bus, which travels through Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside along Queens Blvd.
No E Train Service at Sutphin Blvd/Archer Av/JFK
From Saturday, September 19 through the morning of Monday, November 2, 2020, there will be no service at Sutphin Blvd/ Archer Av /JFK (as well as Jamaica Center) while NYC Transit (NYCT) reconstructs the track along this section of the subway line.
During this time, the LIRR will cross-honor MetroCards at Penn Station, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica and other locations to accommodate affected NYCT customers. Click here for full details.
October 10-11, 17-18, 24-25 & 31-November 1: Switch Installation Project Alters Weekend Schedules
No Main Line train service between Hicksville and Jamaica
Special weekend timetables will be in effect for all branches on the weekends of October 10-11, 17- 18, 24-25 and on the weekend of October 31-November 1, as we install a new switch east of Mineola Station and perform concrete tie installation in the vicinity of Hicksville as part of the LIRR Expansion Project. Please note that additional trains may be affected during the overnight hours on Sunday, November 1, when Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends.
To allow this work to proceed, the LIRR will suspend Main Line train service between Hicksville and Jamaica. Key service impacts and alternatives appear below:
New Hyde Park, Merillon Avenue, Mineola, Carle Place and Westbury Stations: NO TRAIN SERVICE. As alternatives, use the Hempstead Branch or NICE Bus service. LIRR tickets will be cross-honored on the N22/24 bus routes for service between Hicksville and Mineola, and the N40/41 bus routes for service between Mineola and Hempstead. See www.nicebus.com for schedules.
Oyster Bay Branch: Service will operate every two hours. All trains terminate/originate at East Williston Station. Take free LIRR shuttle buses between East Williston, Mineola and Hempstead, where half-hourly train service will be available, or use the Port Washington Branch.
Hempstead Branch: Service on the Hempstead Branch will be increased from hourly to half-hourly to help accommodate affected customers.
Huntington/Port Jefferson/Ronkonkoma Branches: Revised train routes will require westbound customers from Huntington, Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma to transfer to a shuttle train at Hicksville stopping at Bethpage and Babylon, then connect with a train from Babylon to Penn Station. Eastbound customers traveling to Huntington, Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma will reverse the process and take a train from Penn Station to Babylon, transfer to a shuttle train stopping at Bethpage and Hicksville, then transfer again to an eastbound train from Hicksville to points east. Please allow up to 60 minutes of additional travel time. As alternatives, consider traveling via the Babylon, Montauk or Hempstead Branches.
Bethpage Station: All train service will be provided by the diesel-powered shuttle trains with bi-level cars that will operate between Hicksville and Babylon. Electric trains will not stop at Bethpage Station. In addition, platform boarding patterns will change. Westbound customers should wait on the eastbound platform (Track 2, Platform B), and board a shuttle train to Babylon. Eastbound customers should wait on the westbound platform (Track 1, Platform A), and board a shuttle train to Hicksville. Please plan ahead and allow additional time to safely cross the Stewart Avenue grade crossing when getting to/from the opposite station platform.
Printed timetables will not be distributed. View the links below:
Babylon Branch
Far Rockaway Branch
Hempstead Branch
Ronkonkoma Branch
Long Beach Branch
Montauk Branch
Oyster Bay Branch
Port Jefferson Branch
Port Washington Branch
West Hempstead Branch
October 27-29: Buses Substitute for Evening/Overnight Trains Between
Babylon/Patchogue and Montauk
From the evening through early-morning hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27-28, and again on Wednesday and Thursday, October 28-29, buses will substitute for trains between Babylon/Patchogue and Montauk.
Westbound customers: Buses will depart up to 1 hour earlier than normal train times.
Eastbound customers: Please plan for up to 1 hour of additional travel time.
Please see the schedule here for affected service.
October 20-22:Buses Substitute for Late-Night/Overnight Trains Between Huntington and Port Jefferson
From the evening through early-morning hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20-21, and again on Wednesday and Thursday, October 21-22, buses will substitute for trains between Huntington and Port Jefferson as a track-testing program to ensure rail safety is performed.
Westbound customers: Buses will depart up to 30 minutes earlier than normal train times.
Eastbound customers: Please plan for up to 40 minutes of additional travel time.
Please see the schedule here for affected service.
Safe Travels,
Moovit Team