Buses to Substitute for Weekend Trains Between Ronkonkoma and Greenport
To accommodate ongoing work by the Suffolk County Department of Public Works to replace the bridge that carries Horseblock Road over the Long Island Rail Road's Ronkonkoma Branch in Medford, the LIRR is advising customers of service changes for the weekend of Nov. 7-8.
Beginning on Friday, Nov. 6 at 11:20 p.m., the single track between Ronkonkoma and Greenport will be taken out of service to support the bridge replacement work. The track will be back in service by 3 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, with no effect on the morning rush hour expected.
As a result of the work, buses will substitute for trains between Ronkonkoma and Greenport. Customers are advised to plan for an additional 30 minutes of travel time at affected stations east of Ronkonkoma.
A complete bus and train schedule can be found in PDF format at this link:
http://web.mta.info/lirr/Timetable/SpecialTT/Service%20Change%20-%20Horseblock%20Road%20Bridge%20Replacement%20-%20Busing%20KO%20to%20Greenport%20-%20November%207-8%202020%20Poster.pdf
Below is a summary outlining the alternative service.
Westbound
Customers at Medford, Yaphank, Riverhead, Mattituck, Southold or Greenport will find buses at station that will connect at Ronkonkoma to regularly scheduled train service to Penn Station. Buses will depart from these stations up to 30 minutes earlier than normal train departure times. Customers are advised to plan for additional travel time.
Eastbound
Ronkonkoma Branch trains will operate on their normal times between Penn Station and Ronkonkoma. At Ronkonkoma, customers seeking to travel to all further stations will be able to board buses for continuing eastbound travel.
Customers boarding in New York City who are seeking to travel to Medford, Yaphank, Riverhead, Mattituck, Southold or Greenport should plan to arrive at their origin station one hour earlier than normal.
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:
LIRR Train Time app – Customers can see real-time positions of upcoming trains, estimated train arrival time, seat availability levels in each car, and track assignments.
Email and text message service updates – Customers are urged to sign up to receive the alerts by visiting MyMTAAlerts.com. To avoid unwanted messages, tailor the messages to the specific branch, and the specific times of day you wish to ride.
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 enroute.
MTA.info – “Service Status” on the homepage of new.mta.info, and at the left side of www.new.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.