MTA announces when full LIRR service will begin at Grand Central Madison

MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- All aboard!

The full Long Island Railroad (LIRR) service to Grand Central Madison will begin on Monday, February 27.
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All 11 branches of the LIRR will offer service to Grand Central Madison and Penn Station.

Grand Central Madison opened to the public on January 27, but only offered direct service from Jamaica Station.


In a press release, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "Faster, more convenient travel that brings Long Island closer to the heart of the City - the new schedules are going to be a major shot in the arm for the local economy and the effort to get people back to offices, theaters, and shopping."

Overall, this service will add 271 LIRR trains per day. Service levels will increase by 41%.

Branch-by-branch Details:

Babylon Branch

Overall service will increase by 30 trains per day, to 155 trains

Peak service will increase by 53%

Trains will make all local stops to Wantagh or run express to Wantagh and then make all stops to Babylon

Far Rockaway Branch

Trains will increase from just eight, to 60 trains daily

During peak, 11 morning trains and 10 evening trains will operate

All trains will stop at Jamaica for service to Brooklyn

Hempstead Branch

Service will increase from 13 trains daily to 57

During peak, 18 trains will run to and from Manhattan

All trains will stop at Jamaica for transfers to all western terminals

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Long Beach Branch

Total rush hour service to Manhattan will increase by 10 to 23 trains

Peak trains will be spilt between Penn Station and Grand Central, and service more evenly spaced

All trains will stop at Jamaica for Brooklyn transfers

Montauk Branch

Two direct trains from Speonk and Penn Station will continue during rush hour

Additional service to and from Montauk between Memorial Day and Labor Day

Timetables were adjusted for rush hour departure times to improve even spacing of trains

Oyster Bay Branch

Overall service will increase by 10%

Two direct trains between Oyster Bay and Penn Station will continue during rush hour

Off-peak midday weekday service will continue to run every one to two hours

Port Jefferson Branch

LIRR will add 38 trains per weekday, a 39% increase over current levels

Peak service has been increased by 51% at Mineola and 43% at Hicksville

From stations east of Greenlawn, trains will be better spaced to provide service at more desirable times

Port Washington Branch

13 LIRR trains added daily

New schedules will offer more express trains for Bayside, Douglaston and Little Neck stations

Off-peak and weekend travelers will be able to access trains every half hour to and from Manhattan

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Ronkonkoma Branch

Service will increase by 50% daily

Additional trains will run during the summer

New schedules will eliminate gaps up to 95 minutes in reverse-peak service due to capacity constraints

West Hempstead Branch

Daily service will at least double

Off-peak trains will run every hour between West Hempstead and Atlantic Terminal

All trains will stop at St. Albans

Service to Atlantic Terminal, Nostrand Avenue and East New York

LIRR is increasing service to Atlantic Terminal by 30% daily

All Brooklyn trains will make stops at Nostrand Avenue and East New York

Most Brooklyn trains will originate or terminate at Jamaica

Enhanced Service for Local Event Venues

More frequent train service to attend events at Barclays Center and Forest Hills Stadium

Elmont-UBS Arena is now a full-time station

Hudson Valley riders can transfer from a Metro-North train directly to an LIRR train for service to Mets-Willets point for Mets games, Citi Field events and US Open tennis

All train schedules will be available via the Traintime app and online at mta.info.







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