LIRR: Avoid Taking Ronkonkoma, Port Jefferson Train Lines Next Weekend

The MTA has strongly advised customers to avoid using the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches the weekend of Oct. 24-25 due to the installation of the Ellison Avenue Bridge in Westbury.

About 40,000 Long Island Rail Road customers are expected to experience revised schedules on all train branches.

The MTA asks customers to use the Babylon, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Long Beach, Montauk, Port Washington, Oyster Bay or West Hempstead branches to avoid busing and delays.

“We regret the inconvenience, but for safety reasons, the installation of the new bridge requires a complete suspension of train service between Hicksville and Mineola,” LIRR President Patrick A. Nowakowski said in a press release.

Train service will be suspended and buses will replace most trains between Hicksville and Mineola. The Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches could experience delays up to an hour.

Here’s what you need to know:

• During the day: travel time will increase up to 44 minutes for the Ronkonkoma branch and will increase up to an additional 48 minutes for the Port Jefferson branch.
• At night: travel times will increase up to 58 minutes for Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branch customers.
• Train service between Huntington and Port Jefferson will operate every two hours. Service between Huntington and Penn Station will operate hourly.
• Train service between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale will be diverted to the Central and Babylon train lines. There will be no transfers.
• Carle Place and Westbury customers will use buses only.
• Bethpage customers will use buses between Hicksville and Mineola.

To find out more information on the work next weekend, train goers should check out LIRR’s Ellison Avenue Bridge Installation brochure.

Here are the special train service schedules for Oct. 24-25:

• Port Jefferson/Ronkonkoma