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By Long Island News & PR Published: November 15 2014

West Hempstead Weekend Service Returns; Extra Trains for Thanksgiving Holiday.

Manhattan, NY - November 15th, 2014 - New Long Island Rail Road timetables will go into effect on Monday, November 17 through December 14 with the restoration of weekend/holiday service on the West Hempstead Branch, special Thanksgiving holiday service and the start of extra weekend service for the holiday season among the highlights.

There will also be schedule changes to accommodate track work on several branches and a new departure time for an early morning Long Beach to Penn Station. Customers can pick up copies of the new timetables, which will remain in effect through Sunday, December 14, at stations and terminals and view them anytime at www.mta/info/lirr.

West Hempstead Branch – Restoration of Weekend Service

As part of its service investments, the LIRR is restoring weekend and holiday train service on the West Hempstead Branch, effective Saturday, November 22, 2014. Weekend/holiday service would operate every two hours between West Hempstead and Penn Station/Atlantic Terminal, with connecting service at Valley Stream and Jamaica Station.

Long Beach Branch – Attention Early Morning Commuters

Starting on Monday, November 17, the current 3:13 a.m. weekday train from Long Beach will be adjusted to depart later at 3:59 a.m. in order to provide a more convenient early morning alternative for customers who start work in the 5:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. timeframe. With a transfer at Jamaica Station, the rescheduled train will get Long Beach Branch customers to Penn Station at 4:49 a.m.

Thanksgiving Eve Extra Service: Wednesday, November 26

The LIRR will operate a regular weekday schedule with 11 extra trains added to the eastbound afternoon schedule for those leaving work early. There will be four extra to Babylon trains, two extra Huntington trains, one extra Hicksville train, one extra Great Neck train, one extra Far Rockaway train, one extra Ronkonkoma train and one extra Montauk train.

Thanksgiving Day Extra Service: Thursday, November 27

On Thanksgiving Day, the LIRR’s weekend/holiday schedule will be supplemented by 6 extra westbound trains in the morning to accommodate customers heading to the city for the Thanksgiving Day Parade and 11 extra afternoon eastbound trains to get those folks back to Long Island. The extra morning westbound trains will include two from Babylon, two from Ronkonkoma, one from Speonk and one from Port Jefferson. The eastbound extra service from Penn Station will feature four trains to Babylon, three to Ronkonkoma and one each to Speonk, Farmingdale, Huntington and Port Jefferson.

Extra Weekend Service for Holiday Season Starts November 29

Starting the weekend of November 29-30 and continuing through the weekend of January 3-4, the LIRR will add extra trains on the Long Beach Branch to accommodate greater demand during the holiday season. On Saturdays and Sundays, four additional trains will operate westbound between 9 p.m. and 1 p.m. and four additional eastbound trains will operate between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. providing Long Beach customers with half-hourly service during these peak weekend travel hours.

In addition, two overnight trains from Penn Station – one to Huntington and one to Babylon - will be added to the scheduled to accommodate customers taking in late night events.

Track Work Programs

Track work on the following branches will have some impact on train schedules. The LIRR tries to schedule the work during off-peak periods to minimize the impact on customers.

Port Washington Branch – Weekdays November 17-December 12

One of two main tracks will be out of service midday weekdays between Woodside and Bayside for switch replacement work in the Shea Train Yard.

Babylon Branch – Weekdays November 17-December 12

One of two man tracks will be out of service between Rockville Centre and Freeport for track wor trackwork between Rockville Centre and Freeport during overnight hours. Departure times for some Babylon Branch trains and their connections will be adjusted by 4 to 13 minutes.

Port Jefferson Branch – Saturday & Sunday, November 22-23; December 6-7; December 13-14

One of two main tracks will be out of service between Hicksville and Syosset over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, November 22-23, for prep work for the installation of continuous welded rail.

West Hempstead Branch – Weekdays December 1-12

On the West Hempstead Branch, mechanized tie installation and resurfacing midday weekdays between Valley Stream and West Hempstead will mean busing and extra travel time from Monday, December 1 to Friday, December 12.

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