Memorial Day 2018: MTA Increasing Service Ahead Of Long Weekend

NEW YORK, NY — The annual Memorial Day exodus from New York City is here, and the MTA wants to make it easier for city dwellers to escape to the beach for the three-day weekend.

The MTA will add "getaway train" service on its commuter rail lines on Friday and will suspend weekend maintenance work on its bridges and tunnels, the transit agency announced this week. If you're don't wait until Memorial Day, as all of the MTA's commuter services will be running on a holiday schedule.

Here's a breakdown of this weekend's service changes:

Long Island Rail Road:

On Friday the Long Island Rail Road will add nine extra trains leaving Penn Station between 1:42 p.m. and 3:48 p.m.

On Memorial Day, the LIRR will operate on a holiday schedule.

Metro-North Railroad:

On Friday, May 25, Metro-North Railroad will add 17 extra trains departing Grand Central between 12:58 p.m. and 4:11 p.m. Some trains between 5:18 p.m. and 7:28 p.m. will be canceled due to reduced ridership. All extra and canceled trains are shown in the current timetable.

On Memorial Day, Metro-North will operate on a Sunday schedule.

Staten Island Railway:

MTA Staten Island Railway will operate its Early Departure Get Away schedule on Friday. Extra SIR trains will be added beginning at 2:30 p.m. from the St. George Ferry Terminal. There will be one express train and one local train awaiting every boat until 7:50 p.m.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels:

MTA Bridges and Tunnels will suspend all scheduled maintenance work beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday through the end of the morning rush on Tuesday to accommodate heavier traffic. Tube closures related to Sandy restoration work will still occur at the Queens Midtown Tunnel and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel overnight Friday into Saturday morning, but will be suspended for the rest of the weekend.

Subways:

On Memorial Day, New York City buses and subways will run on a Sunday schedule. Keep tuned for Patch's complete roundup of subway service changes.

Photo by Patch