Getting to Times Square: MTA adds extra service for New Year's Eve, holiday weekend
NEW YORK -- The MTA wants to make sure everyone stays safe while ringing in the New Year -- so it's adding extra service to get you where you need to go.
The service changes started Friday with more than a dozen extra trains on the Long Island Rail Road running this afternoon.
METRO NORTH
Friday: Metro-North will operate 18 additional trains departing from Grand Central between 12:58 p.m. and 4:10 p.m.
New Year's Eve: Metro-North will operate a reduced weekday schedule in the morning and evening rush hours, but three extra trains arriving at Grand Central will be added in the evening.
New Year's Day: Metro-North will add 48 extra trains departing from Grand Central between midnight and 5:30 a.m. The rail system will also operate 14 extra trains inbound toward NYC during this timeframe.
For the remainder of the day, Metro-North will operate on hourly on the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines, with six additional trains on the New Haven line.
Click here for the full holiday schedule change.
LIRR
Friday: LIRR will run 13 extra trains departing from Penn Station between 12:46 p.m. and 3:48 p.m.
New Year's Eve: LIRR will add 13 additional trains eastbound between 12:46 p.m. and 3:48 p.m. The rail system will also add 20 extra westbound trains traveling to Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, in the evening.
New Year's Day: LIRR will operate 19 additional trains departing from Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal between midnight and 5:30 a.m.
Click here for the full holiday schedule change.
NEW YORK CITY SUBWAYS
Friday: The MTA will add extra midday trains on all lines.
New Year's Eve: New York City subways will operate on a regular weekday schedule. Customers should avoid the Times Square- 42nd Street station as some exits may be blocked off for the ball drop celebration.
The 50th Street 1 train's northbound platform and the 49th Street N, Q and R trains' northbound and southbound platforms will be closed. Additional service will be provided on most subway lines.
Planned maintenance work on the 53rd Street tunnel will continue.
New Year's Day: After the ball drops, until 3 a.m., subway lines around Times Square will run every 8 to 12 minutes. The 42nd Street shuttle will operate all night. For the rest of the day, trains will operate on a Sunday schedule.
Click here for the full holiday schedule change.
NEW YORK CITY BUSES
Friday: LaGuardia Link Q70 Select Bus Service is fare-free through January 1.
New Year's Eve: City buses will operate on a Sunday schedule. Buses will not be traveling through Times Square because of numerous street closures. M5, M7, M10, M20, M31, M42, M50, M57, and M104 buses will be the most severely impacted.
New Year's Day: Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule.
Click here for the full holiday schedule change.
STATEN ISLAND RAILWAY
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.
New Year's Eve: Early express trains will be added 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.
New Year's Day: SIR will operate on a Sunday schedule.
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