This coming weekend, Nov. 9-10, MTA Long Island Rail Road crews will replace concrete ties in Ronkonkoma as part of an ongoing initiative to renew track infrastructure and ensure safety and on-time performance.

Because of the work, buses will substitute for weekend trains at Central Islip and Ronkonkoma Nov. 9-10. Customers should expect up to 34 minutes additional travel time, and are encouraged to use the Babylon (note: the 12:50 a.m. westbound train from Babylon will depart Jamaica and arrive at Penn Station a few minutes later than normal) or Port Jefferson Branches. Schedules for those branches can be found at the following links:

Babylon

Port Jefferson

Details of the planned service change are summarized below. A complete train schedule is available at this link:

http://web.mta.info/lirr/Timetable/SpecialTT/11-9_10-2019-Brent-KO-ConcTie-GO503-KO.PDF

Eastbound

Ronkonkoma Branch trains will terminate at Brentwood, where customers will be able to connect with waiting buses that will travel to Central Islip and Ronkonkoma. Customers should plan to add up to an extra 34 minutes of travel time. This change will be in place for the 22 eastbound trains that arrive at Brentwood from 1:34 a.m. through 11:24 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The schedule for the connecting trains to Medford, Yaphank, Riverhead, Mattituck, Southold or Greenport, is adjusted accordingly so that customers can connect with the 2:53 a.m., 8:12 a.m., 1:12 p.m. and 5:12 p.m. trains from Penn Station. Those trains will meet buses at Ronkonkoma and will depart 39 minutes after their regular departure times except for the 6:50 p.m. train from Ronkonkoma to Greenport which will depart 29 minutes later at 7:19 p.m.

Westbound

Buses will depart from Ronkonkoma and Central Islip up to 34 minutes earlier than regularly scheduled train departure times, and will connect with trains at Brentwood that will operate to Penn Station on regular Saturday schedules. This change affects the 21 westbound trains that depart Brentwood from 1:26 a.m. to 11:04 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

To connect with buses at Ronkonkoma, trains from Greenport, Southold, Mattituck, Riverhead, Yaphank and Medford will depart up to 21 minutes later than normal. Customers will connect with trains that arrive in New York City 60 minutes later than normal.

Please note: New branch timetables take effect beginning Monday, Nov. 11, 2019.

Many Ways to Stay Connected

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

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

MYmta app & MTA.info – Customers who use the new, comprehensive MYmta app will see real-time travel information for the LIRR and connecting services all in one place, with push notifications when service is not operating normally. 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. The rail tab of the “Service Status” box at new.MTA.info is always the definitive source for the latest status for each branch, updated every minute.

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.

@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.