The subway is closed from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

LIRR

March 6-7: Westbound Trains To Bypass Kew Gardens, Forest Hills & Woodside Stations

On the weekend of March 6-7, westbound Main Line trains (excluding Port Washington Branch trains) will bypass Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside stations, as LIRR forces perform signal testing work as part of the East Side Access (ESA) Project. This service change will commence at 10 PM Friday evening and continue through 5 AM Monday morning on the affected weekends.

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 scheduled to operate normally on these weekends.

As an alternative, NYC Transit will cross-honor LIRR tickets for substitute subway service at Jamaica, Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike, Forest Hills-71st Ave and 61st Street-Woodside during the following time periods:

• 10 PM Friday, March 5 – 2 AM Saturday, March 6
• 4 AM Saturday, March 6 – 2 AM Sunday, March 7
• 4 AM Sunday, March 7 – 2 AM Monday, March 8

The subway is closed daily, from 2 AM – 4 AM, for enhanced cleaning and disinfecting.

Starting Your Westbound Trip on Long Island?
Westbound weekend customers from Long Island traveling to Kew Gardens, Forest Hills or Woodside can transfer to the  subway line at Jamaica Station, where NYC Transit will cross-honor LIRR tickets. During the overnight subway shutdown between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM, take the Q60 bus from Jamaica to Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside or remain on your LIRR train to Penn Station, and then head east on the next eastbound train at no additional charge.

Starting Your Trip at Kew Gardens or Forest Hills?
Westbound customers at Kew Gardens and Forest Hills can board the subway at Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike or Forest Hills-71st Avenue, where NYC Transit will cross-honor LIRR tickets.

Starting Your Westbound Trip at Woodside?
Westbound customers at Woodside can take a Port Washington Branch train to Penn Station. Port Washington Branch trains will continue to stop at Woodside all weekend.  As an alternate, you can take the  subway line to Manhattan.

March 6-7: Weekend Closure of East End Gateway

East End Gateway Entrance at 33rd St. & 7th Ave. to Close;
Alternate Access Available at 34th St. Entrance Near 7th Ave.

MTA is continuing to improve and transform Penn Station. On the weekend of March 6-7, scheduled work will require the temporary closure of the East End Gateway entrance at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue. Customers seeking access between the street level and the LIRR Concourse level are encouraged to use the 34th Street entrance near 7th Avenue.

March 6: Buses Substitute for Trains between Hempstead and Jamaica

Starting just after midnight on Saturday, March 6, buses will substitute for all trains between Hempstead and Jamaica for approximately 12 hours while trackwork is performed to maintain our system in a state of good repair.  See below for details on how this may affect your commute:

Westbound:

• Last train before service change begins: 12:15 AM train from Hempstead.
• First train after service change ends: 1:13 PM train from Hempstead.
• Buses will depart from Hempstead, Country Life Press, Garden City, Nassau Boulevard, Stewart Manor, Floral Park, Bellerose, Queens Village and Hollis up to 40 minutes earlier than usual train times.

Eastbound:

• Last train before service change begins: 11:44 PM train from Atlantic Terminal (Friday night).
• First train after service change ends: 11:45 AM train from Atlantic Terminal.
• Please plan for up to 40 minutes of additional travel time while busing is in effect.

March 6: Port Washington Service Reduced from Half-Hourly to Hourly

Buses Substitute for Trains between Great Neck and Port Washington

Starting just after midnight on Saturday, March 6, Port Washington Branch service will be reduced from half-hourly to hourly for approximately 10 hours, and buses will substitute for trains between Great Neck and Port Washington, during the overnight through mid-morning period, as a track-testing program to ensure rail safety is performed. See below for details:

Westbound:

• Last train before service change begins: 12:44 AM train from Port Washington.
• First train after service change ends: 10:11 AM train from Port Washington.
• Buses will depart from Port Washington, Plandome and Manhasset up to 25 minutes earlier than usual train times.

Eastbound:

• Last train before service change begins: 11:33 PM train from Penn Station (Friday night).
• First train after service change ends: 9:18 AM train from Penn Station.
• Please plan for up to 25 minutes of additional travel time while busing is in effect.

Monday, March 8: New Timetables in Effect

Starting Monday, March 8, new LIRR timetables will take effect on all branches. Off-peak fares will remain in effect on all trains, even during traditional peak hours.

The new schedules will align service more closely with ridership levels, which are currently at 24% of pre-pandemic levels. The new schedules will provide continued service on all 11 branches, and will allow us to operate more efficiently while supporting critical infrastructure work, including rail tie replacement, construction of a new train storage track in Massapequa, and work related to the ongoing construction of a third track between Hicksville and Floral Park.

We recommend reviewing the new schedules closely as there are changes to morning and evening rush-hour service and off-peak service on all branches.