Tomorrow will be one of the most important days of the year for the railroad- as they get ready to transfer thousands of vacationers out to their destinations out east. Various trains serve these beachgoers, including some trains that run specifically on Fridays. Most notable of those trains, is the famous Cannonball route, which departs Penn Station at 4:07pm, runs non-stop over the 73-mile stretch to Westhampton, before making all stops to Montauk besides Hampton Bays and Amagansett, arriving in Montauk at 6:56pm.
Back in the day, the LIRR used to run the train with a couple of Hamptons Reserve cars. It gave you special perks to buy the ticket such as reserved seating, and snacks and drinks along the way. Following the pandemic, they quietly discontinued this service.
Due to the popularity of this train, you may think it has a relatively bad punctuality. However, [Gavin clears his throat], unlike certain trains (if you know, you know), this train was actually very well-scheduled, and is doing much better than it was pre-pandemic. It's still almost as crowded, but it generally runs on time. Even though it runs express through Amagansett and Hampton Bays, it still takes the longest to get from Westhampton to Montauk, considering it's padded considering it has to make double stops.
Typically, The Cannonball is known for being filled with rich folks heading out to the Hamptons for a nice vacation, possibly in their houses out in the Hamptons.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to go see it at Penn Station, but I may be able to have a buddy go scope out at Penn Station to watch it's inaugural departure, so I can get photos for you guys, but I don't know. However, I will be seeing it at my home station, as it flies by. As I like to say, the Cannonball flying by is one of the official start of summer for me (if school letting out isn't!)
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| Photo: Trains Are Fun |
If anyone is planning on riding the Cannonball tomorrow, I'd love to hear how it goes!