What You Need to Know if You're Riding the LIRR Friday

As if regular Friday commuters didn’t crowd Penn Station enough, the transit center and the Long Island Rail Road will be stuffed with thousands of people going to the Papal Mass at Madison Square Garden during the evening rush.

It’s likely to be a hectic scene. Many entrances/exits will be closed off and access to Penn Station will be restricted at certain times. The MTA advises anyone taking the train to leave extra time to navigate through swarms of people.

Here’s what you’ll need to know if you’re taking the LIRR on Friday:

Getting into Penn Station

• Access to and from Penn Station will be most restricted between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. during the Papal Mass.
• Certain entrances, exits and stairways in Penn Station will be closed for security reasons. The 34th Street entrance and the Amtrak entrance at 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue (under the Madison Square Garden marquee) will remain open.
• Streets and sidewalks on a number of streets will blocked off to cars and pedestrians. Several bus lines are being rerouted. Read: Pope Traffic in NYC: A Complete Guide.
• The subways in Penn Station will operate normally. Check which entrances into Penn Station will be open to plan your route.

Taking the LIRR

• The LIRR will operate its normal AM and PM peak train service to and from Penn Station. The LIRR also had eight additional off-peak westbound trains traveling commuters to Penn Station on Friday.
• Extra eastbound LIRR trains will be on standby at Penn Station ready to pick up Long Islanders after the Papal Mass at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
• The MTA suggests commuters consider traveling to/from Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. It will be less congested than Penn Station and features connections to the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q and R subway lines.
• MTA Police and additional LIRR staff will be in Penn Station to help any commuters who need assistance.
• Leave any unnecessary bags, backpacks or packages at home. Check here for a list of prohibited items. Remember to take all your belongings with you when leaving the train.
• Travelers should check Pope Francis’ New York Itinerary, news and traffic reports. Commuters can find more information about transit conditions by listening for announcements regarding service changes, calling the LIRR’s Customer Service Center at 511 or 718-217-5477, or by signing up for LIRR alerts.

Seeing the Pope

• Only those who have tickets are permitted to go the Pope’s events. Everyone else should avoid the areas the Pope is visiting, as road closures will cause plenty of traffic.
• Those going to papal events are advised by the MTA to buy round-trip train tickets and MetroCards in advance and to expect train crowding.

More on the Pope’s Visit:

• Watch Live: Pope Francis in New York City
• PHOTOS: Pope’s Full Day in NYC
• Pope Traffic in NYC: A Complete Guide

Photo of Pope Francis 2013 via Edgar Jiménez from Porto, Portugal