LIRR Announces Multiple Travel Suspensions In Coming Weekends

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — The Long Island Rail Road will be suspending service between Jamaica and Hicksville multiple times this month as it continues work on the LIRR Expansion Project.

Over multiple weekends, train service will be suspended from 12:15 a.m. Saturday to 2:30 a.m. Monday morning. The planned dates are: Sept. 23-26, Sept. 30-Oct. 3 and Oct. 28-31. On Oct. 29 and 30, there will also be service suspensions on the Hempstead Branch.

The suspensions are necessary as LIRR crews work on tracks, signals, switches and stations.

During the work, the New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue stations will be closed. Riders should use the Stewart Manor or Nassau Boulevard stations on the Hempstead Branch instead.

In addition, the Mineola, Carle Place and Westbury stations will also be closed, but there will be busing options. Your LIRR ticket will be accepted on the n22 and n24 NICE Bus routes to get between Mineola and HIcksville, including stops in Westbury and Carle Place. Tickets will also be accepted for the n40/n41 bus from Mineola to Hempstead, where you can transfer to other trains to head west.

If you are traveling between midnight and 5 a.m., a special shuttle bus will run between Mineola and Hicksville, making no stops in between.

There will be multiple alternatives to get around, the LIRR said, depending on which branch riders are on.

Port Jefferson Branch

Trains will only run east of Hicksville. They will run every hour as far as Huntington, and every two hours to Port Jefferson.

At Hicksville, a special double-decker shuttle train will be available to Babylon, where service to and from Penn Station and Jamaica is available.

This detour will add an hour to your trip, so it is recommend that you take the Port Washington, Hempstead, Babylon, or Montauk Branches if you can.

Ronkonkoma Branch

Trains will run between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma once an hour. East of Ronkonkoma, trains will run on an adjusted schedule.

At Hicksville, a special double-decker shuttle train will be available to Babylon, where service to and from Penn Station and Jamaica is available.

Bethpage riders: Only the special shuttle train will stop at Bethpage. If you are going toward the city, you will need to board the eastbound train on Platform B, toward Babylon. If you are going toward Ronkonkoma, board the westbound train on Platform A to Hicksville and transfer there for electric trains to Ronkonkoma.

This detour will add an hour to your trip, so it is recommend that you take the Babylon or Montauk Branches if you can.

Oyster Bay Branch

Trains will run between East Williston and Oyster Bay only.

On Friday nights from 10 p.m. to midnight, a shuttle bus connects East Williston to Mineola, where train service is available.

On Sept. 24-25, the shuttle bus will extend to Hempstead, where train service to and from Jamaica and points west is available.

On Oct. 1-2, Oyster Bay Branch trains will not run. Buses will run from all Oyster Bay Branch stations to Mineola and Hempstead, where train service to and from Jamaica and points west is available.

Using the bus will add up to an hour to your trip, so it is recommend that you take the Port Washington or Hempstead Branches if you can.