Hempstead Branch Trains to Begin Serving Station with Islanders’ Next Game, Nov. 7, Thanks to Oct. 29-30 Track Work

Work Adds 20 Weeknight Trains Per Event and 36 Weekend Trains Per Event

MTA Long Island Rail Road today offered details on increased service to Elmont-UBS Arena that begins starting with the Monday, Nov. 7, Islanders game versus the Calgary Flames, with Hempstead Branch trains now stopping at the station before, during and after all arena events.

The increased service will give anyone who wants to attend an event at UBS Arena more LIRR options to get them to and from Elmont-UBS station.

This additional Hempstead Branch service will add 12 pre-event and eight post-event weekday trains and on weekends, 20 pre-event and 16 post-event trains to the existing service on the Main Line that consists of both Ronkonkoma and Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch trains. The addition of the Hempstead Branch trains allows the LIRR to reduce post-game westbound wait times by nearly half depending on the event ending time and add eastbound post-event trains to Hempstead Branch stations for the first time.

This will reduce travel times and is expected to increase the number of event attendees who use public transportation, helping alleviate traffic congestion on Long Island. Additionally, the Belmont Park shuttle trains that operate between Jamaica Station and the Belmont Park Station will continue to run both before and after UBS Arena events.

Elmont-UBS Arena station features two 12-car-long, high-level platforms with canopies, USB charging stations, Help Points, security cameras, digital signs with train arrival information, Wi-Fi, and a state-of-the-art snow melting system embedded in the concrete of the platforms to ensure they remain free of snow and ice during winter storms. The new station is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, featuring a wide pedestrian overpass designed to accommodate large crowds and two elevators, one for each platform.

The station includes new artwork entitled Cyclical Everything by artist Shawna X. The artwork uses an oval motif throughout that is meant to represent the nearby racetrack and arena, as well as the evolving and transformative nature of Elmont, and the many distinctive cultures at home around this historic attraction. Metal panels, set in the railing that runs along the south platform and in the ramp of the north platform, capture the rhythmic form using bold black lines. The station overpass is enlivened by a series of ten brightly colored laminated glass panels that depict bodies in motion, referencing musicians, athletes, and performers at the nearby newly built UBS Arena.

Elmont-UBS Arena Station began service to coincide with the New York Islanders first home game in November 2021 at the brand-new UBS Arena. As well, the venue has invested in additional capital investments to the surrounding area near the station and on its campus to further benefit the guest experience while on site. They will also be working alongside team and venue partners to offer a variety of different incentives for fans to encourage them to take the train to UBS Arena throughout the season.

When LIRR service to Grand Central Madison begins at the end of this year, Elmont-UBS Arena Station will become a full-time station on the Hempstead Branch with service 365 days a year.