Long Island Rail Road crews will continue work on the Double Track Project in Suffolk County this weekend, July 14-15, 2018, between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma. This work will require buses to substitute for train service between these stations.

In Ronkonkoma, crews will work to align tracks into final position and connect new second track, while grade crossing surfacing will take place at Pond Road. The signal system from Central Islip to Ronkonkoma will be tested, while construction on the new platforms at Pinelawn and Wyandanch stations will continue. Contractors will also be working along the LIRR’s right-of-way for new track and signal systems from Deer Park to Farmingdale, while a signal bridge is removed in Ronkonkoma.

To allow for this work, busing between Ronkonkoma and Hicksville will begin at 1:03 a.m. on Saturday, July 14, and end at 3:29 a.m., Monday, July 16. A temporary road closure on Saturday, July 14, will be necessary for the work at Pond Road. Vehicles will be directed to the Ocean Avenue grade crossing.

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, July 14-15, 2018: View special timetable here.

Westbound

• Customers at stations Ronkonkoma through Bethpage will board buses up to 45 minutes earlier than normal train times. At Hicksville, customers will transfer to westbound trains.

• Customers at stations Greenport through Medford will board buses at Ronkonkoma and ride to Hicksville, where train service will resume. Customers will arrive at western terminals approximately 1 hour later than normal.

Eastbound

• Customers traveling to stations Bethpage through Ronkonkoma will transfer to buses at Hicksville. Plan for up to 46 minutes of added travel time.

Greenport: Departure times for trains that provide connecting service to Greenport have been adjusted:

• Eastbound passengers for the 4:19 a.m. train from Ronkonkoma to Greenport will board the 2:53 a.m. train from Penn Station to Hicksville and detrain for a bus that will make all local stops to Greenport. Passengers should expect up to 1 hour and 40 minutes of additional travel time.
• Eastbound passengers for the 9:40 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. trains from Ronkonkoma to Greenport will board the 7:12 a.m. and 12:12 a.m. trains from Penn Station to Hicksville, 1 hour earlier than normal. Passengers will detrain for buses to Ronkonkoma where train service will resume.
• Eastbound passengers for the 6:50 p.m. train from Ronkonkoma to Greenport will board the 5:12 p.m. train from Penn Station to Hicksville. Passengers will detrain for buses to Ronkonkoma where train service will resume.
• Westbound passengers will detrain at Ronkonkoma and board buses up to 21 minutes later for Hicksville where train service will resume. Passengers will arrive at Western Terminals 1 hour later than normal.

Monday Morning, July 16, 2018

• Westbound: Customers who normally take the 12:14 AM and 1:11 AM trains from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station will board buses departing up to 45 minutes earlier than normal train times,then connect with westbound trains at Hicksville.

• Eastbound: Customers who take the 12:44 AM and 1:45 AM trains from Penn to Ronkonkoma will transfer to buses at Hicksville. Plan for 46 minutes of added travel time.

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:

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.

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.info – The rail tab of the “Service Status” box at the left side of www.MTA.infois always the definitive source for the latest status for each branch, updated every minute. In addition, customers can visit www.mta.info/lirrto 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.