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September 08, 2016
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LIRR to Double Service to New York Islanders Games Compared With Start of Last SeasonSame Number of Trains to Be Provided as During 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Barclays Center
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MTA Long Island Rail Road is revving up its train service for New York Islanders games at Barclays Center, including adding a fourth post-game train, bound for Ronkonkoma, for the 2016-17 season.
The increased service will provide fans with the same number of trains as during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs and will double the service from the start of last season. This service is over and above regularly scheduled service to and from Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, which during off peak hours offers service on the Far Rockaway Branch and Hempstead Branch, with trains departing every 30 minutes.
“More and more Islanders fans have found the LIRR to be the quickest and most convenient way to and from Barclays Center,” said MTA Long Island Rail Road President Patrick A. Nowakowski. “We anticipate continued growth in ridership to Brooklyn as the Islanders begin their second season there. We’re providing an unprecedented level of service to accommodate that growth this season, and future system improvements like the proposed Main Line third track will give us capacity to provide even more.”
“We are delighted to have worked with the LIRR to deliver expanded service for Islanders fans this season, similar to the enhanced train schedule provided for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which oversees Barclays Center and the business operations of the Islanders. “Our goal is to continue making Islanders games even more convenient for Long Island fans.”
As a value addition for this increased service, the LIRR and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment have combined efforts for a special ticket offer of 10 percent off for select games during the 2016-17 season when showing a LIRR special package voucher at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. For more information go to www.newyorkislanders.com or http://web.mta.info/lirr/getaways/TrainToTheGame/NewYorkIslanders2016.htm.
During the 2015-16 season, about 40 percent of Islanders fans attending games at Barclays Center travelled the LIRR to Atlantic Terminal, which is just steps from the arena. Overall, LIRR ridership to Atlantic Terminal is up significantly since Barclays Center opened in 2012. In response, the nation’s busiest commuter railroad has pulled out all the stops to meet the demand.
For the Islanders’ first season in Brooklyn last year, the railroad beefed up service by adding two post-event trains for weekday games and two pre-event and two post-event trains for weekend games with direct service to Babylon and Farmingdale. Two months into the season, the LIRR increased that to three trains, and when the Islanders reached the playoffs last spring, a fourth train was provided in each category.
Following the success of the four-train schedule, this level of service will be offered for all home games starting with a pre-season home game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, September 26. The team’s regular season home opener is Sunday, October 16 against the Anaheim Ducks. A proposal to expand the Main Line by adding a third track that has been put forward by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo will benefit Islanders fans in years ahead by allowing the LIRR to run additional trains from Long Island to Barclays Center on weekday evenings.
Barclays Center will continue to communicate train schedules in real-time during Islanders games on arena monitors located throughout the concourse and on the center-hung scoreboard.
Below are details on the enhanced service this season:
Weekdays: 4 Post-Game Eastbound Trains
Beginning with the Islanders first pre-season game on Monday, September 26, the LIRR will have four eastbound post-game trains on weekdays departing from Atlantic Terminal. Two trains will provide direct service to Babylon and one each to Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma. Customers bound for other eastbound destinations will change at Jamaica for their home branch.
Weekends: 4 Pre-Game Westbound & Post-Game Eastbound Trains
On weekends, the LIRR will supplement its regular westbound service with four westbound pre-game trains direct to Atlantic Terminal, two direct from Babylon and one each from Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma. It will also run four eastbound post-game trains from Atlantic Terminal, two direct to Babylon and one each to Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma. Fans traveling to and from other destinations will change at Jamaica for their home branch.
2 Additional Post-Game Brooklyn-to-Jamaica Shuttle Trains Available
Additionally, for select high-demand games, whether on weekdays or weekends, two additional Brooklyn-to-Jamaica post-game shuttle trains will be available for customers who change at Jamaica for other eastbound branches. Remember that during games, Barclays Center posts LIRR train schedules in real ¬time on monitors located throughout the concourse and on the center¬ hung scoreboard.
For More Information
Customers can get more information about LIRR service to Islanders home games at Barclays Center on at http://web.mta.info/lirr/Timetable/. Customers can also download the LIRR’s Train Time app or sign up for LIRR service alerts at www.mymtaalerts.com or contact the LIRR’s Customer Service Center by calling 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and saying: Long Island Rail Road. If you are deaf or hearing impaired, use your preferred relay service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the LIRR 511. To buy tickets, consider downloading the MTA eTix™ app - LIRR’s mobile ticketing app which allows customers to buy LIRR tickets on their mobile device -- anytime, anywhere.
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