Take the LIRR to the Beach ... and to the Gold Coast Film Festival!
The LIRR has over 60 Deals & Getaways to help you enjoy your summer inside and outside. Here are two uniquely diverse ways to have fun this summer season with two getaways that are miles apart in location and form. There’s the hot weather favorite “Splish Splash” and the latest from Cirque De Soleil, Zarkana. “Splish Splash” has been voted one of America’s top five water parks by the TravelChannel. It features one-of-a-kind water rides like the Dragon’s Den, the Hollywood Stunt Rider, Alien Invasion and the new Kahuna Bay Wavepool featuring boogie boarding. Located in Riverhead on more than 90 acres, “Splish Splash” is the metro area’s largest family water park. The LIRR “Splish Splash” package includes discounted round-trip rail to/from Ronkonkoma Station, connecting shuttle bus and attraction admission with up to a 27% savings on park admission. Tickets are available at LIRR ticket offices and "Tickets" machines. Cirque du Soleil invites you to Zarkana, a beautifully bizarre journey premiering exclusively at Radio City Music Hall. This epic spectacle takes audiences into a fantastical and suspenseful world where highly-acrobatic feats are heightened by original live music and interactive multimedia elements. The LIRR package includes a free round-trip rail ticket with each show ticket purchased using code LIRR at cirquedusoleil.com or the Radio City Box office. For further information on both LIRR package getaways to “Splish Splash” and Zarkana from Cirque du Soliel see Deals & Getaways.

 

Extra Service Independence Day Weekend
The LIRR will provide additional afternoon service from Penn Station on Friday, July 1 for customers making an early getaway for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The nine extra trains will depart Penn between 2:10 PM and 3:48 PM and operate on the Babylon, Port Jefferson, Port Washington and Far Rockaway Branches. A Saturday schedule will be in effect on July 2 and 3 and a Sunday/holiday schedule on July 4. Cars will also be added to some regularly scheduled eastbound trains as well as on some westbound trains on Monday, July 4. 

 

"Batter Up," LIRR Rolls To Mets-Willets Point For Part II of "Subway Series" July 1-3
The Mets will be looking for revenge on their cross-town rival Yankees when the two meet for part two of their annual "Subway Series" at the Mets home turf, Citi Field. There will be frequent LIRR service to the Mets-Willets Point Station for the Friday evening game on July 1, the late Saturday afternoon game on July 2 and the afternoon game on Sunday, July 3. Train service to Mets-Willets Point is available on eastbound Port Washington Branch trains from Penn Station and westbound trains from Great Neck and Port Washington. The train ride is just 18 minutes from Penn Station to Mets-Willets Point. For those traveling on the LIRR from Long Island,the new ballpark is just six minutes from Woodside, 17 minutes from Great Neck and 27 minutes from Port Washington. From Long Island, customers may go directly to the stadium from Port Washington Branch stations. Fans traveling from branches other than Port Washington can reach Mets-Willets Point by taking a regularly scheduled train to Woodside Station, then changing to an eastbound Port Washington Branch train. See Schedules & Fares for further information on the "Subway Series."

 

Reminder: Transit Benefit Change July 1
As of July 1, the LIRR will only accept Transit Benefit Debit Cards, instead of paper vouchers, for tickets purchased through Mail&Ride and at ticket offices. If you’re still using paper vouchers, please contact the Transit Benefit Program Administrator at your workplace to switch to a Transit Benefit Debit Card. Please contact us at 718-217-5477 if you have any questions on this change.

 

Meet The Managers
Mark the date on your calendar, June 28, from 4 PM to 7 PM. That's when we'll have our next Meet The Managers at Penn Station. It's your chance as LIRR customers to talk to LIRR managers about the challenges you sometimes face while commuting. This time we'll focus on the Hempstead and West Hempstead Branches.

 

Reserve a Seat for your Trip to the Hamptons!
Do you want to avoid crowds and have your seat waiting? Our Hamptons Reserve Service offers customers the opportunity to reserve their seat for our Summer Friday Cannonball Express train to the Hamptons/ Montauk. Reservations guarantee your seat and our courteous attendants serve beverages and snacks at your seat. The seat charge is $18.75 before boarding in addition to the off-peak one way fare ($18.25). Make reservations online at or call 718-217-5477 and say "More Options, Hamptons Reserve Service".

 

"Rikki (and everyone else), Don't Lose That Number"
There’s only one phone number you need to know should you want to get in touch with us at the LIRR.  It’s one that some may have used in the past but now it’s the only one you need to know to reach us. The number 718-217-5477 will connect you to all railroad departments including our Travel Information Center.

 

Port Washington Branch Track Work Weekends of June 25-26 & July 9-10
Buses and vans will replace train service between Port Washington and Great Neck during two weekends, June 25-26 and  July 9-10, as track and drainage improvement work is done in the Manhasset area. Most eastbound and westbound Manhasset, Plandome and Port Washington station customers will board buses or vans at some point in their journeys to complete their trips. Train service will be restored in both directions by early Monday morning on both weekends.

 

May OTP
The overall on-time-performance for May was 94.04%.

BRANCH	AM Peak	PM Peak	Off- Peak	Total May 2011	Total May 2010
Babylon	96.3%	89.9%	94.2%	94.0%	92.3%
Far Rockaway	93.9%	97.1%	97.7%	97.2%	97.9%
Hicksville/Huntington	93.2%	86.3%	93.6%	92.7%	93.3%
Hempstead	97.0%	94.6%	97.8%	97.4%	96.2%
Long Beach	96.0%	94.7%	96.2%	96.0%	96.6%
Montauk	95.2%	86.2%	86.5%	87.7%	90.9%
Oyster Bay	93.7%	92.2%	95.2%	94.6%	96.0%
Port Jefferson	93.4%	85.8%	92.1%	91.5%	91.1%
Port Washington	92.7%	93.6%	96.8%	95.6%	91.7%
Ronkonkoma/Greenport	90.7%	94.2%	91.1%	91.5%	90.9%
West Hempstead	97.0%	89.9%	96.7%	95.5%	96.2%
TOTAL	94.3%	91.5%	94.4%	94.0%	93.5%

TrainTalk Archive