Q70 LaGuardia Link Bus to Be Fare-Free on Dec. 22-23;

Lots of Extra LIRR & Metro-North Service;

MTA Is the Best Way to Get Around

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that trains and buses will operate on special schedules during the long Christmas weekend. 

Also for holiday travelers, as part of the Port Authority’s measures to alleviate roadway congestion at LaGuardia Airport during the peak holiday travel rush, MTA New York City Transit’s LaGuardia Link Q70 Select Bus Service will be fare-free on Thursday, December 22, and Friday, December 23. The LaGuardia Link provides non-stop service linking the main terminals of the airport (Terminals B, C and D) with New York City Subway at the Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av  station and the 61 St-Woodside  station-Long Island Rail Road stop in Woodside, Queens. 

Holiday service details follow for each MTA service, organized by day. Additional details on Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad service changes are available in the attached press releases from each railroad.

Friday, December 22

MTA Long Island Rail Road is adding 13 trains from Penn Station to its regular eastbound afternoon schedule on Friday, December 22, to accommodate the large number of customers leaving work early to get a head start on their holiday weekend. For additional details please see the attached press release from the Long Island Rail Road.

Metro-North will operate 18 additional early getaway trains departing Grand Central Terminal between 12:58 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. and two additional early getaway trains departing Hoboken Terminal, at 2:41 p.m. bound for Port Jervis and 2:58 p.m. bound for Spring Valley.  For additional details please see the attached press release from Metro-North Railroad.

Staten Island Railway customers looking to get a head start on the Christmas holiday will be able to catch earlier afternoon express train service on Friday, December 22 with MTA Staten Island Railway’s Early Departure Getaway schedule.  Extra SIR trains will be added earlier in the afternoon beginning at 2:30 p.m. from the St. George Ferry Terminal.  There will be one express train and one local train awaiting every boat until 7:50 p.m.  This early departure schedule will also be available on Friday, December 29, for customers getting a head start on their New Year’s Eve plans. 

Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24, and Christmas Day, Monday, December 25

The New York City Subway, New York City buses and Staten Island Railway will operate on a Sunday schedule on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. As a reminder, some subway lines do not run on weekends, and customers are advised to allow additional travel time due to weekend work.  For more information on weekend service and planned work, click here. 

The LIRR will operate on a regular weekend/holiday schedule from Saturday, December 23, through Monday, Christmas Day, December 25. For additional details, including information on ways to save with family fares that let children ride for $1 when accompanied by a fare-paying adult, please see the attached press release from the Long Island Rail Road.

On Sunday, December 24, Metro-North’s East of Hudson service will operate a regular Sunday schedule supplemented with Shoppers Specials. For Monday, December 25, the railroad’s East of Hudson lines will operate a special holiday schedule with hourly service on most line segments, and regular weekend service on all branch lines. For additional details please see the attached press release from Metro-North Railroad.

Tuesday, December 26, Through Friday, December 29

As a reminder, Subway Action Plan maintenance work and repairs are scheduled in the 53^rd Street Tunnel from 5 a.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. on Sunday, December 31. During this critical work,  trains run on the  line between W 4 St and Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av in both directions.  service is suspended during this time.  customers should allow for additional travel time. More information on these significant upgrades and travel alternatives can be found here.

Metro-North will provide a weekday schedule with additional trains to Grand Central Terminal on all east-of-Hudson lines during our heaviest travel times (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). With lighter ridership during the peak periods this week, some morning rush hour trains are cancelled or combined to free up trains and crews for these additional mid-day trains. Trains are noted in timetables and additional information is available at the attached press release from Metro-North Railroad.