LIRR Details ‘Historic’ Service Expansion

MTA Long Island Rail Road has published draft timetables showing service to Grand Central Madison and offering details on what it calls the “largest LIRR service expansion in history.”

Riders of MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) could see weekday service increase 41% system-wide when Grand Central Madison terminal opens later this year, giving the commuter railroad two entry points to Manhattan’s Central Business District.

LIRR on June 2 published 18 draft timetables that lay out details of what it is calling the “largest LIRR service expansion in history.”

They show proposed train schedules for all LIRR branches—including service to the new 700,000 square-foot Grand Central Madison, whose name was announced May 31 by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA officials. The terminal is part of LIRR’s $11.1 billion project that will bring service to the East Side of Manhattan. (The original Pennsylvania Station opened Sept. 8, 1910.)

LIRR is proposing to add 274 trains per weekday, boosting service to 939 trains per weekday from the current 665.

“It is no exaggeration to say that there is no railroad or public transportation system in America that is getting bigger service increases than the LIRR will be getting in a few short months,” said Catherine Rinaldi, interim President of LIRR, President of MTA Metro-North Railroad, and one of Railway Age’s 2021 Women in Rail honorees. “Constraints that have long put a ceiling on how much service the LIRR can operate are falling away as we bring online two long-awaited mega-projects: the opening of LIRR service to Grand Central Madison, and LIRR Main Line Third Track.”

Specifically, LIRR proposes to add 44 morning rush hour peak-direction trains to Manhattan, increasing service by 58%, to 120 trains from the current 76. Total morning rush hour peak-direction service, including all trains beyond those that serve Manhattan, would increase by 40%, to 159 trains from the current 114. The commuter railroad also proposes to add 60 afternoon peak-direction rush hour trains, increasing service by 62%, to 158 trains from the current 98. Penn Station is gaining three LIRR trains in the afternoon rush, rising to 66 trains from the current 63, LIRR reported.

“Reverse commuting from New York City to Long Island becomes a realistic alternative on the Main Line for the first time under the proposed schedules,” LIRR said. The commuter railroad is proposing to add 53 reverse-peak trains per weekday, or an increase of 65%, to 134 trains per weekday, from the current 81, with the biggest improvements coming to the Main Line branches, it reported.

“The Main Line corridor, as measured at Mineola, Hicksville, Ronkonkoma or Huntington, will all see service frequencies effectively doubling during off-peak periods,” LIRR said. “Rush hour train frequencies between Jamaica and Manhattan will roughly equate to midday service on the Lexington Avenue Subway, the busiest subway line in North America.”

Train frequencies in Brooklyn are also increasing, with five trains per hour during the peak periods (a train roughly every 12 minutes) and three trains per hour during off-peak periods (a train every 20 minutes), according to the commuter railroad.

LIRR will hold virtual information sessions on June 23, June 30 and July 7, in which staff will offer presentations about the new timetables. The public will have an opportunity to offer comments during a July 13 virtual meeting. All details can be found at https://new.mta.info/grandcentralmadison. Final timetables are expected this fall.