Long Island Rail Road crews will perform necessary Positive Train Control testing on the Port Washington Branch, while work on the Double Track Project in Suffolk County continues this weekend, June 23-24, 2018.

To allow for PTC testing, which will run from 12:25 a.m. on Saturday until 11:58 a.m., and again from 11:18 p.m. Saturday night to 8:58 a.m. Sunday, service on the Port Washington Branch will be reduced during certain hours. Please see a special timetable here.

Coinciding with this work, crews will continue around-the-clock work on the Double Track Project. This weekend, work will be done on platform panels, as well as steel, brick, electric and mechanical work at Wyandanch. Signal cables and fiber communications will also be installed, as well as work on the new signal system in Ronkonkoma.  On Saturday, June 23, starting at 1:07 a.m., bus service will substitute for trains between Hicksville and Yaphank. On Sunday, June 24, bus service will substitute for trains between Hicksville and Greenport. Details on the busing program are below. Train service will be restored along the branch by 12:44 a.m. Monday morning.

The highly anticipated Double Track Project, a crucial component to expanding LIRR service in Suffolk County while bolstering the region’s economy, will improve service and reliability on the LIRR’s Ronkonkoma Branch, as well as for service to Long Island MacArthur Airport. Over the past 25 years, ridership on the Ronkonkoma Branch has doubled -- growing in popularity since the line was electrified in 1988 – indicating the need for expansion.

The project, expected to be completed this summer, will also aid in reducing delays in the event of a service disruption, as the majority of the 18-mile stretch between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale currently only has one track available to both directions of train traffic. When an issue arises with a train, this stalls all other east and westbound trains because there is currently no way to circumnavigate the stalled train.

Details on the Ronkonkoma Branch busing program are as follows:

Saturday-Sunday, June 22-23, 2018:

• View special timetable here.
• Eastbound customers will transfer at Hicksville for bus service from Bethpage through Ronkonkoma. Customers should expect an additional 46 minutes of travel time.
• Westbound customers traveling from stations Ronkonkoma through Bethpage will board buses at their station up to 46 minutes earlier than normal train times for Hicksville, where they will transfer to train service.
• Local bus service will be provided between Bethpage, Farmingdale, Pinelawn, Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood, Central Islip and Ronkonkoma stations.
• Customers are encouraged to avoid busing and use alternate branches, like the Babylon or Port Jefferson branches.
• Greenport: Trains between Ronkonkoma and Greenport may operate on adjusted schedules during these periods; bus service substitutes for some trains. Please refer to the special timetable for details on specific train and bus schedules. Passengers should expect additional travel time, from 20 minutes up to 1 hour and 40 minutes.