The Long Island Rail Road will perform cyclical rail safety tests on the Montauk Branch between Babylon and Montauk during off-peak hours on Monday, April 29, 2019, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m, requiring buses to substitute for trains between these stations during this period. The testing will continue along the Montauk Branch during overnight hours from 10:35 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. on the overnights Tuesday, April 30, and again Wednesday, May 1, requiring buses to substitute for trains between Patchogue and Montauk.

The rail safety tests are performed by a Sperry Rail Car, a train car fitted with ultrasonic and induction test equipment and is designed to detect internal defects inside the running rails that are not readily visible to the eye. Defects that are found will be corrected immediately by LIRR track maintenance workers.

“We are increasing our use of advanced technology to identify defects in track before they have a chance to fail and cause train delays; we are making repairs in a proactive manner, rather than reactive,” said LIRR President Phil Eng. “We’ve doubled the frequency of these ultrasonic and induction tests to four times a year, from two, which we expect will reduce the number of instances of broken rails and ensuing delayed trains.”

Please note: South Fork Commuter Connection trains are not affected.

Monday, April 29, 2019 - Montauk Branch - Special Timetable Here

Eastbound

• Customers traveling to stations Bay Shore through Montauk will detrain at Babylon and board buses to their final destinations. Customers may experience up to 57 minutes additional travel time, depending on final destination.
• The 11:27 a.m. train from Jamaica to Montauk will terminate in Babylon, where customers will board a bus to complete their trip.
  
• Buses will substitute for the 10:27 a.m. and 2:27 p.m. trains from Babylon to Patchogue.

Westbound

• Customers at stations Montauk through Bay Shore will board buses up to 52 minutes earlier than normal train times for Babylon, where train service will resume.
• The 11:27 a.m. train from Montauk to Jamaica will originate at Babylon.
  
• Buses will substitute for the 9:37 a.m. and 11:37 a.m. trains from Patchogue to Babylon.

Overnight Tuesday, April 30, and Wednesday, May 1 - Montauk Branch - Special Timetable Here

Please note: Different trains are adjusted on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Eastbound

• The 8:53 p.m. train from Jamaica to Montauk will terminate at Patchogue, where customers will board a bus to complete their trip.
• The 11:37 p.m. train from Babylon to Speonk will terminate at Patchogue, where customers will board a bus to complete their trip.
• Customers should plan for up to 62 minutes additional travel time.

Westbound

• The 10:05 p.m. train from Montauk to Jamaica will originate at Patchogue. Customers will board buses at Montauk for service to stations Amagansett to Patchogue.
• Customers will board buses up to 57 minutes earlier than normal train times.

Wednesday and Thursday

Eastbound

• The 12:47 a.m. train from Babylon to Speonk will terminate at Patchogue, where customers will board a bus to complete their trip.
• The 1:10 a.m. train from Jamaica to Montauk will terminate at Patchogue, where customers will board a bus to complete their trip.
• Customers should plan for up to 62 minutes additional travel time.

Westbound

• The 1:00 a.m. train from Montauk to Babylon will originate at Patchogue. Customers will board buses at Montauk for service to stations Amagansett to Patchogue.
• Customers will board buses up to 57 minutes earlier than normal train times.

Many Channels for Services Updates

Information about the service changes noted in this press release and all planned service changes is available through the LIRR’s real-time service information sources:

MYmta app – Customers who use the new, comprehensive MYmta app will see real-time travel information for LIRR and connecting services all in one place. As a caution, trains that start out their trips on time may experience delays en route. The LIRR Train Time app also remains available for customers to access LIRR train information.

MTA.org– Customers can see real-time positions of upcoming trains in real time, on a smartphone-optimized map that refreshes every 3- to 5-seconds, by logging into myLIRR.org.

Email and text message service updates – Customers are urged to sign up to receive the alerts by visiting MyMTAAlerts.com. To avoid unwanted messages, a user can tailor the messages to the specific branch, and the specific times of day.

MTA.info– “Service Status” on the homepage of new.mta.info, and at the left side of www.MTA.info is always the definitive source for the latest status for each branch, updated every minute. In addition, customers can visit www.mta.info/lirr to see special service notices in the upper center of the page.

@LIRR on Twitter – Twitter users can follow @LIRR to receive updates of a similar nature to the email and text alerts, shortened to fit Twitter’s format.

The above communications channels can be accessed while at home or on the go. For customers who are located at stations, the LIRR will post the latest service updates on digital signs at station platforms and will make audio announcements over public address systems, and on-board announcements made by train crews.

For those who prefer the telephone, information is available from the LIRR’s Customer Service Center by calling 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and saying: “Long Island Rail Road”. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the LIRR at 511.