Long Island Rail Road work will change service over weekend in Mineola, Hicksville

MINEOLA (WABC) -- Thousands of LIRR riders may need to find alternative forms of transportation this weekend.

There is no train service between Hicksville and Mineola as crews finish a part of the Ellison Avenue Bridge project in Westbury.

Construction is taking place Saturday and Sunday. It should be complete by Monday morning.

Customers on the Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma branches are being asked to avoid taking the train all together.

LIRR officials say the weekend should go smoother than they were initially expecting.

If you have to take the train this weekend you should know buses will replace trains between Hicksville and Mineola.

There will be bus service only for Carle Place and Westbury customers.

Service west of Huntington will operate every hour instead of every 30 minutes.

The LIRR estimates that the work could impact 40,000 customers this weekend.

Along with no train service between Hicksville and Mineola, there are other changes:

Ronkonkoma Branch

-- Buses replace trains between Hicksville and Mineola.

-- Bethpage customers will be bused between Mineola and Hicksville.

-- Ronkonkoma through Farmingdale customers will travel to and from Penn Station by train without transfers, as trains will be diverted via the Central & Babylon Branches.

Port Jefferson Branch

-- Buses replace trains between Hicksville and Mineola for the entire weekend.

-- Trains between Huntington and Port Jefferson will operate every two hours.

-- Service between Huntington and Penn Station will operate hourly.

-- Carle Place and Westbury will be served by buses only.

Those heading to the Mets game should take South Shore branches or the Port Washington branch. For direct service to Woodside, use the Babylon or Port Washington branches. Ronkonkoma Branch trains will not stop at Woodside on the weekend of October 24 - 25.

For more information, go to the LIRR site.