New LIRR Schedules Start Monday on Every Branch — Midday and Weekend Trains Move First
New Long Island Rail Road schedules take effect Monday, November 9 on all branches: many midday weekday and weekend departure times change, some trains leave earlier, and rush hour is largely untouched — the MTA tells riders to check their branch before they travel.
Monday's commute runs on a new clock for Long Island riders. New schedules start on all Long Island Rail Road branches on Monday, November 9, the MTA says, with changes to departure times on many midday weekday and weekend trains — some leaving earlier than they do now — so the railroad can advance track maintenance and station accessibility projects. There are no major changes to rush hour service. The MTA's advice is plain: use the TrainTime app or view the schedule for your branch to see what moved.
The branch list is specific. On the Babylon Branch, a special midday weekday schedule runs November 9-20 for track work between Amityville and Lindenhurst; then, on weekends starting Saturday, November 14, and midday weekdays starting Monday, November 23, Babylon service is restored to what operated before the Babylon station reconstruction project, including direct service from stations east of Massapequa to Grand Central and two local trains per hour between Manhattan and Babylon — one serving Penn Station, one Grand Central. Brooklyn riders get a restoration too: midday weekday service between Jamaica and Atlantic Terminal is back to every 20 minutes. On Hempstead, the 6:34 a.m. from Westbury to Penn Station no longer stops at Elmont-UBS Arena; on Montauk, the early train to Long Island City now starts in Hampton Bays at 5:30 a.m. instead of Speonk at 5:47; on Ronkonkoma, the 6:27 a.m. to Grand Central runs two minutes earlier.
The smaller print carries two more dates. Port Jefferson riders get a new weekend local to Penn Station leaving Hicksville at 4:33 p.m., with a return from Penn at 10:02 p.m., added for event capacity; Greenport service east of Ronkonkoma resumes midday weekdays on November 23; and the 7:18 p.m. from Grand Central to Long Beach now leaves one minute earlier and adds a stop at Kew Gardens. None of these is a guess: every time above is the MTA's own published time, read this cycle. The rider's move is the one the railroad names — check your branch's new schedule before Monday's trip, because the train that used to be there may now leave earlier.
