LIRR to operate on weekday schedule for Martin Luther King Day, rest of MTA not following suit

As many of you know, tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day and the MTA has a very complicated way of running service.

The LIRR will operate on a full weekday schedule, something that while unnecessary, has become a yearly practice for a at least a decade now. Meanwhile Metro-North will operate on a modified weekend schedule (with some added trains aligning during peak hours. If your wondering why the LIRR would run on a weekday schedule and Metro-North would not, I have no clue. The subway is also running on a weekend schedule. 

I personally feel it's very unnecessary for the LIRR to run a full weekday schedule. Much fewer people travel during traditional peak hours on this day and it will probably lead to some very low crowding levels, and coupled while charging off-peak fares it just seams very overkill. While I don't feel They could follow Metro-North's route and 

The LIRR seams to be very hesitant about running "modified" schedules and instead opts to either run a full weekday schedule or a full weekend schedule. Metro-North on the other hand chooses to run a base weekend schedule then add some extras here and there to provide additional capacity. A good example of this issue can be seen on Christmas Eve when the LIRR chooses to run a full weekday schedule. Not only is this ridiculously overkill but its simply a waste of equipment and crew hours. There is absolutely no reason why a full weekday schedule could be warranted on the day before the biggest holiday of the year.

I personally feel the LIRR could be fine by just running a regular weekend schedule without any extras on Christmas Day, but on days like Martin Luther King Day for those who are unlucky enough to go into the office, they should really just go back to their old method of running a weekend schedule with a couple of extras heading westbound during the traditional peak hours and then heading back out in the evening. This would better align with the travel patterns on this holiday.

Before I go, I'd like to emphasize that off-peak fares will be accepted for all of Monday on both the LIRR and Metro-North.

LIRR & MNR Thanksgiving Service 2025

During the busiest travel period of the year, Thanksgiving weekend, both the LIRR and Metro-North both are stuffed up with extra trains operating for various proposes, from serving as early getaway trains on Thanksgiving Eve to transporting people to the Macy’s Thanksgiving day Parade.

This year, which is expected to be a busy one, both the LIRR and MNR will be providing a host of extra trains throughout the weekend. 

Thanksgiving Eve - November 26 

On Thanksgiving Eve, the LIRR will operate on a normal weekday schedule. Train 14 (the 4:07pm from Penn Station to Montauk) will operate.

Metro-North will combine or outright annull a couple of trains (particularly express trains) during the both the morning and evening rush hours. 

They will also provide a couple of additional mid-morning departures into Grand Central on the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines to accommodate those traveling into the city for leisure purposes.

Thanksgiving Day - November 27 

On the Babylon Branch, the LIRR will provide 3 additional westbound trains to the parade: 

• A 6:33am local from Babylon to Penn Station, making all stops through Rockville Centre, Jamaica, and Penn Station. 
• A 6:54am local from Babylon to Grand Central, making all stops through Lynbrook, Jamaica, and Grand Central.
• A 7:25am local from Babylon to Penn Station, making all stops through Rockville Centre, Jamaica, and Penn Station.

On the Ronkonkoma Branch, the LIRR will also provide 3 westbound trains getting people into Manhattan:

• A 6:14am train from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station, making all local stops to Hicksville, Mineola, Jamaica, and Penn Station.
• A 6:56am train from Ronkonkoma to Grand Central, making all local stops to Hicksville, Mineola, Jamaica, and Grand Central.
• A 7:01am local from Farmingdale to Penn Station, making all local stops through New Hyde Park, Jamaica, and Penn Station.

Heading back out to Long Island after the parade, 

Heading eastbound on the Ronkonkoma Branch, the LIRR will provide 4 additional eastbounds.

• A 11:17am train from Penn Station to Farmingdale, stopping at Jamaica, New Hyde Park, and local stops to Farmingdale. 
• A 12:13pm train from Grand Central to Ronkonkoma, stopping at Jamaica, MIneola, Hicksville, and all stops to Ronkonkoma.
• A 12:30pm train from Grand Central to Ronkonkoma, stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, and then all local stops to Ronkonkoma.
• A 12:47pm train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma, stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, and then all local stops from Ronkonkoma

On the Babylon Branch,

• A 12:24pm local from Grand Central to Babylon, stopping at Jamaica, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, and all local stops to Babylon
• A 12:51pm local from Grand Central to Babylon, stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, and all local stops to Ronkonkoma
  

Finally, the LIRR will provide one additional train heading eastbound to Huntington 

• An 11:53am local from Grand Central to Huntington, stopping at Jamaica, and all stops from New Hyde Park through Huntington

Metro-North 

On the Hudson Line, Metro-North will provide a couple of additional trains into Manhattan for the parade: 

• A 4:54am train from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central, making all local stops to Croton-Harmon, Ossining, Tarrytown, Harlem-125 St, and Grand Central

• A 5:24am train from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central, making all local stops to Croton-Harmon, Ossining, Tarrytown, Harlem-125 St, and Grand Central

• A 6:24am train from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central, making all local stops to Croton-Harmon, Ossining, Tarrytown, Harlem-125 St, and Grand Central

On the Danbury Branch, Metro-North will provide two direct one-seat rides into Manhattan and back out after the parade: 

• A 6:08am train from Danbury to Grand Central, making all local stops to Stamford, Harlem-125 St, and Grand Central

• A 12:19pm train from Grand Central to Danbury, making Harlem-125 St, Stamford, and all local stops to Danbury

Black Friday - November 28 

On Black Friday (aka the day after Thanksgiving), the LIRR will operate on a normal weekday schedule. Train 14 (the 4:07pm from Penn Station to Montauk) will operate.

Metro-North will operate on a WEEKEND schedule with a couple of trains added in for those souls who must commute into the city during the regular peak hours.

They will also provide a couple of additional mid-morning departures into Grand Central on the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines to accommodate those traveling into the city for leisure purposes.

Saturday & Sunday - November 29 and 30

Both the LIRR & Metro-North will operate on a normal weekend schedule. Metro-North will operate the hourly New Haven Line "shoppers specials" that run into New York in the morning and back out to New Haven in the evening and run express from Harlem-125 St to Westport before making limited stops.

If your travelling this Thanksgiving, try taking the train. Thanksgiving is already the busiest travel period of the year and this is expected to be one of the busiest years for travel ever. Traffic will be at it's worst so it's a great time to try the train.

LIRR & MNR Columbus Day Service 2025

Today is Columbus Day in the United States and to celebrate both the LIRR and MNR will be running a full, normal weekday schedule with the usual suite of rush hour trains. And unlike on Presidents Day where the LIRR screws anyone who doesn’t give a hoot about presidents, Columbus Day is just an ordinary day to the MTA.

However, you should expect possible (but not probable) cancellations tomorrow morning during the morning rush hour due to the storm and due be careful if your unlucky enough to have to travel in!

In addition, since it’s a normal morning the two railroads will be running regular fares with peak fares in affect during the morning and afternoon periods.

For those of you, like me that have off, enjoy your day off! 

MTA Fourth of July Service 2025

Independence Day, also known as Fourth of July falls on a Friday this year, which means that to startoff this post, it's important to note that the LIRR will run on a weekend schedule. 

Here's some of the service changes that'll occur during the Fourth of July weekend:

Wednesday, July 2, 2025:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal weekday schedule, regular fares.
• Train 14, "Mini-Cannonball" as they call it (the 4:07pm from Penn Station to Montauk) will run. 

Metro-North Railroad:

• Metro-North will operate on a Thursday schedule.

Thursday, July 3, 2025:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal weekday schedule, regular fares.
• Train 14, "Mini-Cannonball" as they call it (the 4:07pm from Penn Station to Montauk) will run. 
• Train 952 (the 3:58pm out of Ronkonkoma) will be extended to Greenport as 954, and train 953 won't run.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Metro-North will operate on Friday schedule, with some early getaway trains and some combined trains later in the rush hour.

Thursday, July 3, 2025:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal weekday schedule, regular fares.
• Train 16, "The Cannonball" will run, along with the suit of other Summer Friday Hamptons trains (#10 and #12 to Montauk, along with #66, #89, and #99; SFCC trains #94 and #95 won't run.
• The LIRR will operate an additional extra train to Montauk, titled #24, departing Jamaica at 7:15pm, running non-stop to Patchogue, Mastic-Shirley, and all stops to Montauk.
• Train 952 (the 3:58pm out of Ronkonkoma) will be extended to Greenport as 954, and train 953 won't run.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Metro-North will operate on Friday schedule, with some early getaway trains and some combined trains later in the rush hour.

Friday, July 4, 2025:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal Saturday schedule, regular fares.
• The LIRR will not operate the regular Sunday fleet of additional westbound trains from Montauk, only the Saturday ones.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Metro-North will operate on Sunday schedule, with some early getaway trains and some combined trains later in the rush hour.
• Metro-North will operate two additional trains targeted towards people coming from the Rye Playland and Macy's Firework Shows. The first extra, #3569, is a 10:54pm local out of Rye, making all stops to Grand Central, with the second extra, #3572, departing Grand Central at 11:13pm, making Harlem-125 St, then running nonstop to Westport, Fairfield, and all local stops to New Haven.

Saturday, July 5, 2025:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal Saturday schedule, regular off-peak fares.
• The LIRR will not operate the regular Sunday fleet of additional westbound trains from Montauk, only the Saturday ones.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Normal Saturday schedule, regular off-peak fares.

Sunday, July 6, 2025:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal Sunday schedule, with regular off-peak fares.
• The regular Sunday fleet of additional westbound trains from Montauk will operate.
• The LIRR will operate an additional extra train from Montauk to Jamaica, titled #6021, departing Montauk at 8:45pm, making all stops to Westhampton before then running nonstop to Jamaica.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Normal Saturday schedule, regular off-peak fares.

Also, on the subway, the MTA will run increased service on the A, C, F, N, 2, and 4 lines to accommodate for increased travel to the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks show from the afternoon thru the late evening. 

The thing is, they really need to increase service on the 7 as things can get pretty bad for people watching from near Vernon Blvd-Jackson Avenue. Last year, the 7 got jammed as they didn't run enough trains and this lead to out of control crowding, thus spilling onto the other lines, specifically the G, E, and the N, yet this year they're continuing the same problem by not providing more service on the line that's specifically supposed to target these travelers. 

The (7) is CBTC, so due to the planned work, they could easily store a couple of trains on the express tracks, then deadhead them over to Hudson Yards and mix them with the locals. If I were the you, I'd avoid the 7 at all costs on Fourth of July night since things we'll probably get pretty ugly following the show.

Anyways, I wish everyone a happy Fourth of July weekend!

LIRR Memorial Day Service 2025

As we approach Memorial Day, the day many call the unofficial start of summer (at least for me, when the Cannonball blasts past my station), and the day we honor those who died for our country, and also the day that railfans such as myself see the first runs of all the westbound Montauk trains coming from the Hamptons and Fire Island. 

This time, however, I didn’t get to adding Metro-North service changes, as I was quite busy, and I just couldn’t scrape up the time, but either way the LIRR’s Memorial Day changes are actually much more interesting for once.  On Monday, the LIRR and MNR will be operating on a holiday schedule. Service is as follows:

Friday, May 23, 2025:

• The LIRR will operate on a regular weekday schedule. 
• Friday, May 23, 2025 marks the first Friday in which the typical Hamptons reserve eastbound trains: trains 10 (the express 11:41a from Jamaica to Montauk), 12 (the 1:11p from Hunterspoint Avenue to Montauk), and 16, the Cannonball (4:07pm from Penn to Montauk) will run.
• In addition, train 66, the 12:05p express Babylon-Patchogue Friday-only relief train for train 10 will make its first run along with #89, the 3:24p express from Patchogue to Babylon. Both will only stop at Sayville, Bay Shore, and Babylon only.
• Train #952, the 3:58pm from Ronkonkoma to Riverhead will be extended to Greenport as train #954 on it’s first 2025 extended run.

Saturday, May 24, 2025:

• The LIRR will operate on a regular weekend schedule.

Sunday, May 25, 2025:

• The LIRR will operate on a regular weekend schedule.

Monday, May 26, 2025:

• The LIRR will operate on a regular weekend schedule.
• Off-peak fares will be in affect the entire day.
• Monday marks the first runs of the typical Sunday fleet of westbounds, running on Monday for Memorial Day weekend. Trains 6095, the brand-new extended version of #6005 to Penn Station will run for the first time ever, meanwhile trains 6007 (the 1:46p from Montauk to Jamaica), 6009 (the 3:25p from Southampton to Jamaica), 6013 (the 4:17pm from Montauk, now extended to Penn Station) and 6017 (the 6:21p from Montauk to Penn Station) will make their first 2025 runs.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025:

• The LIRR will operate on a regular weekday schedule. 
• Train 11, the 7:18am westbound train from Montauk to Hunterspoint Avenue will operate on it’s first westbound run of 2025.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025:

• The LIRR will operate on a regular weekday schedule. 

Have a good Memorial Day!

Additional Trains for St. Patrick's Day

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day, a religious "celebration" day. Each year, the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade is held in Manhattan and draws crowds from all over the world. This New York City attraction, like many, draws tons of Long Islanders into the city to see or even participate in the parade.

The parade is an "alcoholic celebration" meaning that many people that go will go to restaurants and bars and become drunk afterward, and as more and more people decide to drink and take public transportation home afterward, trains have become more crowded. The sheer volume of extra travelers not only causes loading delays, but clashed with the last of the peak travelers heading in for a day of work, can cause serious delays throughout the system.

Last year, the parade fell on a Saturday, so, the additional trains the LIRR ran allowed them to get through the day pretty well, but this year it falls on a Monday, meaning that not only do you have the rush hour travelers, but now you've got these passengers to worry about as well.

All of this has caused train crews to absolutely despise St. Patrick's Day, as there's nothing worse then having a train full of drunks coming home on a Monday night, multiplied with all the rush hour commuters and you've got jampacked trains full of intoxicated passengers. Often times belingerent drunks would cause problems over not paying fares, arguing with other passengers, dropping food on the floor of already dirty railcars, and drinking even more on the trains! One year, there were over 22 seperate incidents on the LIRR that required police assistance.

As you can tell, this is an overwhelming and not fun day for crews. It's important to be advised that conductors typically have much less patience for unruly passengers, so be aware if your looking to have a good time.

NYC St. Patrick's Day Added Service:

In order to minimize loading delays, the Long Island Rail Road will be providing four additional westbound trains between 8:41 and 9:53. Two of those trains will come from Ronkonkoma while two others will come from Babylon.

• 8:41am from Ronkonkoma, making local stops through Wyandanch, then Farmingdale, Bethpage, Hicksville, Mineola, Jamaica, and Grand Central.
• 9:06am from Babylon, making local stops through Rockville Centre, Jamaica, and Grand Central.
• 9:40am from Ronkonkoma, making local stops through Wyandanch, then Farmingdale, Bethpage, Hicksville, Mineola, Jamaica, and Grand Central.
• 9:53am from Babylon, making local stops through Rockville Centre, Jamaica, and Grand Central.

Last year, the LIRR ran 15 additional westbound trains and 16 additional eastbound trains. I will admit that last year, it was a weekend, so you've got the peak trains and generally good post-peak service to help get people there, but I expect there will be some issues. However, I really would've liked to see them provide at least a bit more additional service. This year we'll be missing out on the dual-modes, which are the only extra service my branch gets, along with the other extra trains. I would've at least liked to see them add at least one additional westbound/eastbound train to Grand Central on the Long Beach, Port Jefferson, and Port Washington Branches, but I guess not. They also aren't running any additional eastbounds, which while I can kinda understand considering travel back from the parade is usually scattered throughout the evening, I'm a bit suprised that they went all out last year and did nothing this year.

In an effort to signficantly reduce the number of incidents and keep trains as orderly as possible, the LIRR will be banning all alcoholic beverages on trains, platforms, and waiting areas from 5:00am Monday 3/17 to 5:00am Tuesday 3/18. MTA Police will enforce this! If you try, they will confiscate it.

Apparantly Metro-North will be providing five additional trains to and from the parade, however, I cannot seam to find any information on them so if anyone knows or can find out please comment below!

Montauk St. Patrick's Day Parade Added Service:

The Annual Montauk St. Patrick's Day Parade will take place on Sunday, March 30th this year and will begin at 12:00 p.m. Quite a few people take the train out east for the parade, and since it's not yet summer, the LIRR will provide additional trains to provide for added capacity.

The exact details for these trains have not been announced as of now, however, you can expect an additional eastbound train about an hour earlier then train 6008, that departs Jamaica at 8:13 and arrives Montauk at 10:55am. You can also expect an additional eastbound that will originate in Babylon, trailing after train 6008.  

Coming back westbound, they typically run a train that emulates summer-only 6007, that departs Montauk in the 1:00pm hour. This train is normally a local to Babylon before terminating in Jamaica. I remember there were delays last year on the Montauk Branch on this date, so hopefully things will do better this year.

It's supposed to rain on Monday during the entire length of the parade, so while many will still go and participate, the loads shouldn't be as bad for this reason. 

So, if your going to ride the train on the "worst day to ride the LIRR", make sure to follow the rules so you have a good time! I'm looking forward to seeing how St. Patrick's Day turns out this year. 

Fun Fact: Did you know that NJTransit's fleet of Single-level coaches, known as Comets are known for their reoccurring odor of vomit as "vomits" or "vomit comets". Thank goodness my beloved C3s aren't stinky!

LIRR & MNR to run on a weekend schedule on President’s Day

Monday is Presidents Day, and while it’s a holiday for some (including me), it’s also a working day for others. For those with employers that don’t give a hoot about presidents, the LIRR will be operating on a weekend schedule, and MNR will operate on a Saturday schedule. In many previous years, the LIRR has at least added one to three trains to the schedule , but this year those who commute are unlucky. I’m not too worried about loads, especially with the snowstorm coming, however, some of the Ronkonkoma and Babylon Branch trains may become crowded.

Full weekday service for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the LIRR

The LIRR is observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day at his year with a full weekday schedule, a change from some prior years where the railroad operated on a “Modified Weekday Schedule”. 

While not enough service is a frequent complaint, too much service is also cause for concern. Yes, by having the full suite of weekday service is handy for those that go to work, it means the LIRR can’t be operating at a profit. 

The LIRR had done a study taking ridership counts on trains arriving and departing Penn Station on MLK day since 2010, and while ridership had been more then on a normal Saturday or Sunday, it’s only 27% of that of a normal rush hour. 

I’d think that with so many people working from home nowadays, and the fact that people get off, they’d run a modified weekday at the best, I guess I’m wrong on this.

Martin Luther King, .Jr Day is a paid holiday for most of the railroad’s represented employees, and all of those whom are working to provide full weekday service are paid a time and a half beyond the one day’s pay that other holidays use. I have nothing against that- it’s right that they get paid extra, however it’s surprising considering the fact that the LIRR is on a budget.

I personally think it’s a nice thing that they do, (especially with the extra opportunities to railfan), however, by doing this, they are sacrificing a bit and it questions how they are spending their money. 

Have a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope everyone has an amazing day, gets to see family, and gets whatever they wanted. I'd like to give an extra special Merry Christmas and thank you for those individuals who keep the railroad (or any other essential service) running, essepcially on days like today when they could otherwise be with their families.

 In order to celebrate, here are a couple of photos of LIRR trains in the snow as a throwback!

LIRR & MNR Holiday Service 2024

We are now officially less then a week from Christmas Day! However, with Christmas comes the craziness, and it’s difficult to keep track of everything the LIRR & MNR will do for the Holidays, especially with the long break we’re afforded this year!

Friday, December 20, 2024:

Long Island Railroad:

• On Thanksgiving Eve, the LIRR will operate on a normal WEEKDAY schedule. Train #14, the winter version of "The Cannonball" will run. However, no additional extra trains will be provided.

Metro-North Railroad:

• A handful of AM/PM peak trains will be combined (i.e the 7:08 am from Tarrytown and the 7:09 from Croton-Harmon will be combined into a new train departing Croton-Harmon at 6:56am) or annulled (i.e the 7:03am super-express from Poughkeepsie).

Saturday & Sunday, December 21 & 22, 2024:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal weekend service, possibly expect tad bit of crowding for people travelling.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Normal weekend service, extra shopper’s specials will operate.

Monday, December 23, 2024:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal weekday service, with normal fares in affect, possibly expect tad a bit of crowding for people travelling.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Normal weekday service, with same changes as on Friday, 12/20.

Christmas Eve - Tuesday, December 24, 2024:

• Normal weekday service, with same changes as on Friday, 12/20.

Christmas Day - Wednesday, December 25, 2024:

Long Island Railroad:

• Holiday schedule, off-peak fares in affect all day.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Holiday schedule, off-peak fares in affect all day. Metro-North has released a Holiday schedule for all of it’s lines, Hudson Line, New Haven Line & Harlem Line

Thursday & Friday, December 26-27, 2024:

• Normal weekday service, normal fares apply.

Saturday & Sunday, December 28-29, 2024:

• Normal weekend service, normal fares apply.

Monday, December 30, 2024:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal weekday service, normal fares apply.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Normal weekday service, same changes as Friday, 12/20.

New Year’s Eve - Tuesday, December 31, 2024:

Long Island Railroad:

• Normal weekday service, normal fares apply.

The LIRR has made timetables outlining the additional service that can be found here.
13 additional westbound extras have been added to the schedule on New Year’s Eve. On the Port Washington Branch, a new train #441, will depart Port Wash at 7:08pm, make all stops to Great Neck, Bayside, Woodside, and Grand Central at 7:49pm. The other extra Port Washington train, #343, will depart Port Washington at 8:40pm make all stops to Bayside, before Woodside and Penn Station at 9:25pm.

On the Babylon Branch, the LIRR has interestingly added an additional westbound train, #151, which will depart Babylon at 5:16 pm and will run just a measly 3 minutes before the westbound #263 to Grand Central, which makes all stops along the branch and Lynbrook before Jamaica and Penn Station, with this one making all those stops but Lynbrook. The second additional westbound, #199, departs Babylon at 6:29pm, makes all stops to Rockville Centre, Jamaica, and Penn Station at 7:38pm.

On the Montauk Branch, the LIRR has added an westbound, titled #51, which departs Speonk at 6:47pm, makes all stops to Babylon, before Jamaica, and Penn Station at 8:53pm.

On the Port Jefferson Branch, heading westbound, the LIRR has added a relatively impressive 4 additional westbound runs with the first one titled #1597 departing Huntington at 6:00pm and making all stops through New Hyde Park, Elmont-UBS Arena, Jamaica, and Penn Station at 7:01. The second additional westbound, #1697, which will depart at 7:18pm, and will make all those same stops, however will run to Grand Central and arrive there at 8:33. The third additional extra is much more interesting, as #663, will depart Port Jefferson at 8:01pm make all stops to Hicksville, Mineola, Elmont-UBS Arena (most likely for the concert), Jamaica, and Penn Station arriving there at 9:58pm. The final westbound extra will depart Huntington at 8:54pm, make all stops to New Hyde Park, Elmont-UBS Arena, Jamaica, and Penn Station at 10:01pm.

Finally, on the Ronkonkoma Branch, the first westbound extra, #1995, will depart Ronkonkoma at 5:15pm, make all stops to Hicksville except Pinelawn, Mineola, Jamaica, and Penn Station at 6:36pm. The second extra, #1997, will depart Ronkonkoma just 3 minutes after #2065 to Grand Central does, crazy! This train will make all stops to Hicksville, followed by Mineola, Elmont-UBS Arena, Jamaica, and Penn Station at 8:24pm. The third extra, #2095, will depart Ronkonkoma at 7:41pm, make all stops to Hicksville, Mineola, Elmont-UBS Arena, Jamaica, and Grand Central at 9:09pm.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Holiday schedule, off-peak fares in affect all day. Metro-North has released a Holiday schedule for all of it’s lines, Hudson Line, New Haven Line & Harlem Line

New Year’s Day - Wednesday, January 1, 2025:

Long Island Railroad:

5 additional eastbound trains have been added to the schedule early New Year’s Day. On the Port Washington Branch, the first new extra, #6432, will depart Grand Central Terminal at 12:39am, and make all stops to Port Washington getting there at 1:26am. The second extra, #6334, will depart Penn Station at 2:19am, and again, make all local stops to Port Washington getting there at 3:05am.
On the Babylon Branch, the first eastbound extra, #6232, will depart Grand Central at 12:46am, then it’ll make Jamaica, Rockville Centre, and all stops getting to Babylon at 2:00am. The second eastbound extra, #6136, will depart Penn Station at 1:19am, make Jamaica, Rockville, and all stops to Babylon arriving there at 2:35am.

 
On the Montauk Branch, the eastbound extra, #6030, will depart Penn Station at 1:42am, make Jamaica, Rockville Centre, and all stops to Speonk, getting there at 3:54am.

 
On the Port Jefferson Branch, first of all, #6602 (the 1:10am from Jamaica to Port Jeff) will get an added stop in Elmont-UBS Arena at 1:22. The first fully-additional eastbound extra, #7632, is scheduled to depart Grand Central at 12:59am, make Jamaica, Elmont-UBS Arena, New Hyde Park, and all stops to Huntington. The second fully-additional extra, #7502, will depart Penn Station at 1:34am, make Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, Elmont-UBS Arena, New Hyde Park, and all stops to Huntington, arriving there at 2:27pm. The fourth fully-additional extra, #7534, will depart Penn Station at 2:04am, make Jamaica, Elmont-UBS Arena, New Hyde Park and all stops to Huntington, getting there at 3:12am. The fifth and final extra, #6692, will depart Penn Station at 2:29am, make Jamaica, New Hyde Park, and all stops to Port Jefferson, getting there at 4:29am.

 
And finally, on the Ronkonkoma Branch, the first extra, #7936, will depart Penn Station at 12:31am, make Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, and all eastbound stops to Ronkonkoma besides Pinelawn. The second eastbound, #8090, will depart Grand Central Terminal at 12:33am, make Jamaica, Elmont, Mineola, Hicksville, and all stops to Ronkonkoma besides Pinelawn. The third, fourth, and fifth eastbound extras, #7938, #7902, and #7940 all depart Penn Station, make Jamaica, Elmont, Mineola, Hicksville, and all stops to Ronkonkoma besides Pinelawn at 12:55am, 1:09am, and 2:00am.

Metro-North Railroad:

• Holiday schedule, off-peak fares in affect all day. Metro-North has released a Holiday schedule for all of it’s lines, Hudson Line, New Haven Line & Harlem Line

Thursday & Friday, January 2-3, 2025:

• Normal weekday service, normal fares apply.

Saturday & Sunday, January 4-5, 2025:

Normal weekend service, normal fares apply.The timetables can easily get very confusing this time of year, with remarks all over the place and so many holidays to choose from, however, I attempted to summarise it as accurately and efficiently as possible. However, I strongly urge you to check the real schedules as well, because I could’ve made some mistakes!

Friday, December 20th and Monday, December 23rd could be a bit hairy loading-wise in the early afternoon as many people will choose to go home early, however, especially for the latter, I don’t expect loads to be too bad.Luckily, Christmas is on a Wednesday this year, which brakes things up a bit. Some people will call it quits early Friday afternoon, however others, might leave early and go in for a while on Monday, some more on Tuesday, others might work later on Friday in hopes of getting out earlier on Monday, et cetera, so there will be some heavier loads earlier in the day, however, I expect not too many people will even go in on Friday because people work from home so much these days.

There is a chance of snow this Friday, which me personally I’d love to leave school for the long break with snow falling, that would be a great start to my week off.

It’s not uncommon, especially this time of year, to see some extra trains hitting the rails and picking up the people that cannot squish into the normal trains.

On New Years Eve, the LIRR will normally put up a show of extras, same for Metro-North. The LIRR will normally operate a hodgepodge of extra trains, including dual-modes from Speonk and Port Jefferson for those folks willing to freeze their rear-ends off in Times Square to watch the ball drop, or to go to other concerts that night. Last year, the WB run from Port Jefferson actually made an added stop at Elmont-UBS Arena, the first ever time for a diesel train to stop there! These extras will almost all hang out in West Side Yard during the festivities, before turning around and heading back out to Long Island. Of these trains, train #6092 is easily the most notable of these, this train, departs Penn Station, then stops at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then makes all local stops to Speonk. That’s 23 stops! The most any LIRR train makes any year and most likely it’ll run again this year however it’s too soon to tell. I feel bad for the crew of that train as they must have absolute fatigue by the time they get to Speonk, and they don’t fiddle with the running times between the closely-packed Babylon-branch stations so the slowly-accelerating DMs have a tough-time and oftenly have been reported to run late. Now, I haven’t been up at 1am, so, I can’t speak for it, but I’ve heard that the loads on this train isn’t too bad, unlike you’d think, as people will hop on earlier trains.

I will be flying out on December 23rd to go to Michigan to visit family, and I’m hoping to work on a huge upcoming project i’ve been working on for many months now while I’m travelling. However, because of this, I won’t be looking at holiday loads as much until I return home.

In conclusion, while I think the LIRR is going a little bit crazy on New Year’s Eve, as I’ve noticed that not as many people go into the city on New Years as previous years, I definitely think that this is more like how all of their holidays should look like. In the meantime, I have quite a few amazing posts coming up in the next following days, and I also hope to get a lot of stuff typed up during my vacation.

May the rest of your year be merry, warm, and safe, no matter where you stay. All the best from Tri-State Rail NOW.

Late Friday Links 11/29

Welcome to the third episode of Late Friday Links. If your waiting on the checkout line at a store, here are some Black Friday links to help you pass the time, and by the way, I've posted quite a few posts this week, so make sure to check back and make sure you didn't miss anything!

• MTA A.I Bus Cameras Issue Thousands of Mistaken

The MTA had previously installed cameras on the M79 & BX35 routes (yeah, I have no idea what those are) to find people who park & block bus lanes, but recently it mistakenly tickled more then 3,800 vehicles! 

• MTA Considers Flying Drones to Watch Over Busses in Network

I know this isn't close to as interesting as the previous link, nor the following two (hint-hint), but it's still a bit interesting that they need to do this. If this will help evenly space the busses, then good.

• NYC Transit Museum Holiday Nostalgia Rides 2024

The New York City Transit Museum will be bringing back the Holiday Nostalgia Rides this 2024 Holiday season!!! They will run every Sunday in December, and will run on the (F) from 2nd Avenue- Houston Street at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, & 4pm going uptown to 96 St, and will depart 96 St - 2nd Avenue going downtown at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm. I'm definitely hoping to go this year as I had missed it last year (the one week I thought I could go my dad said no and I ended up going to Mineola for a bit for the first time). 

• MNR Rolls Out First-of-a-kind Holiday Train 

I just saw this article while looking for articles today, and I think this is very cool. They have decorated an M8 with Christmas Lights and other very festive things and will be randomly operating it on the New Haven, Harlem, & Hudson Lines! It's important to note that this is not an event, it'll just operate randomly, and that you'll have to look out for it. I don't know if I'll be able to get on it this year, but I'll see and if I do I'll definitely slide some photos! It's crazy how the M8s are perfect for the job, they can operate on all 3 lines, they're red, and they are available.

As a reminder, off-peak fares are accepted on the remainder of all trains today and normal service operates all weekend! Not planned disruptions are happening on the railroads this weekend, but 1 trains aren't running between 14 St and South Ferry,  7 trains aren't running between Queensboro Plaza and 34 St- Hudson Yards, L trains aren't running between Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues and Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway, and Q trains aren't running between 34 St- Herald Sq and Prospect Park. 

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend off and if you (like me) have a holiday festival this weekend, enjoy!

The Great Holiday Rush Period!

It’s that time of year again… the holiday season! During the holiday season, trains in and around New York City are known to be packed due to all the big events happening from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade to the events in Times Square on New Years; there's always something to see during the holidays. For many, the Holidays are a break for people, not only for work and schools, but also for the typical ridership patterns on mass transit. As many normal daily commuters cease from their daily routines, more occasional (or frequent) riders who are sitting around at home with nothing to do decide to head into New York to catch some of the Holiday atmosphere, and many of those decide to skip the hassle of driving in during the holidays.

The last month or two of the year show very different ridership patterns than during previous months, and for many, ridership patterns look nothing like their previous counterparts during this busy time of year. I mean come on, there's no way this photo was taken during the rush hour at 5:45p on a train to Babylon on December 27!

I decided to make an article analyzing this period between Thanksgiving Eve and New Year’s Day, showing the importance of this time for the railroad, and what can be done to improve service during this time.

In order for the LIRR to master this important off-peak period, it all comes down to the proper distribution of resources. First of all, it’s important to note that trains that are overcrowded, no matter the time of day, are very undesirable among passengers (and under the current loading guideline, unacceptable. Yet, trains that are significantly under crowded aren’t great either. It’s important to note that trains are expensive to run, so too many trains when the demands are already extensively needed is wasteful of their limited resources.

I remember that there were a lot of problems on weekends last year, especially on the mainline with lots of overcrowding.

The @mta / @lirr is basically begging people to stop taking the train on Saturdays for $19.50-30.50 round trip per person and instead drive to Manhattan for the bargain price of $15 per personal vehicle because they cannot/will not increase train sizes or frequency #lirr pic.twitter.com/lzZ1NHHK7S

— Googuls (@Googuls) December 9, 2023

Finding a balance

Finding a balance for service during the holidays presents unique challenges and it’s something that the LIRR struggles with, but it’s something that can be solved. For example, Metro-North 

Let’s start off with Thanksgiving, and normally, things will start to pick up on Thanksgiving Eve, as some people will leave work early with some taking the extra trains that run in the early afternoon for those going home early. Loads on many trains across the system will increase as people take the trains all over to/from the city to go visit family for Thanksgiving, (e.g go take the LIRR to Jamaica and catch the AirTrain to JFK Airport or catch a train to Bridgehampton to visit family). Thanksgiving Day’s loads will pick up very early in the morning as many people will take trains in the 6, 7, and maybe 8am hours into New York for the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. If anyone would like more information on service on Thanksgiving for the LIRR & MNR, check out this post!

Holiday confusion...

I remember last year while I was railfanning at my home station, Sayville, train #13 was running very late (like 40 minutes) due to equipment trouble, and train 69, which at that point, left Patchogue at like 1:25 pm, very soon after #13, and would run nonstop from Patchogue to Babylon (nowadays it's scheduled to make all the stops) made all the stops of #13 so people wouldn't have to wait in the cold for another 40 minutes, I definitely think this was very nice of the crew, but I remember that some people didn't understand that they could take that train in order to get westbound service, and a few even didn't take the train because they were so confused! I even have a video that I'm going to share as I still just love the ridiculousness of the video

In some cases, what can happen is the LIRR (or even rarer MNR) will operate "passenger extras" aka "xtras" which usually trail a couple of minutes behind the regularly scheduled train and pick up those unlucky folks that cannot fit into the first one, but this cannot always work depending on the time and location.

For this year, Friday, December 20 and Monday, December 23 will most likely be a little hairy loading-wise in the early afternoon, as the LIRR & MNR aren’t planning on adding any extra trains, but I don’t assume the loads will be too much of a problem as many people will just work from home both days. Some people will end work for the year on Friday, possibly even work late on Friday in hopes of getting out earlier on Monday, while others might take an earlier train in on Monday or possibly even Tuesday, so there might be some slightly heavier loads throughout the morning and afternoon on Friday and Monday, but I think the loads will be consistently spread out throughout these couple of days, so, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Normally, the week following up to Christmas is a rather chaotic one for the LIRR & MNR, as many people will travel on various trains into and out of the city for events like the famous Radio City Rockette Christmas Show, a favorite of mine, for example. It’s also not uncommon for a massive blizzard, but these days that’s getting rarer and rarer unfortunately.

On New Year's Eve, the LIRR normally puts up a show of extras, same for Metro-North. The LIRR will normally operate a hodgepodge of extra trains, including dual-modes from Speonk and Port Jefferson for those folks willing to freeze their rear-ends off in Times Square to watch the ball drop, or to go to other concerts that night. Last year, the westbound run from Port Jefferson actually made an added stop at Elmont-UBS Arena, the first ever time for a diesel train to stop there! These extras will almost all hang out in West Side Yard during the festivities, before turning around and heading back out to Long Island. Of these trains, train #6092 is easily the most notable of these, this train departs Penn Station, then stops at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then makes all local stops to Speonk. That’s 23 stops! The most any LIRR train makes any year and most likely it’ll run again this year however it’s too soon to tell. I feel bad for the crew of that train as they must have absolute fatigue by the time they get to Speonk, and they don’t fiddle with the running times between the closely-packed Babylon-branch stations so the slowly-accelerating DMs have a tough-time and oftenly have been reported to run late. Now, I haven’t been up since 1am, so I can’t speak for it, but I’ve heard that the loads on this train aren't too bad, unlike you’d think, as people will hop on earlier trains. 

I don’t remember the loads being too busy last year for New Years, but I do remember them being an issue during a lot of the weekends in December and I remember going into the city once or twice of those weekends and it was pretty crowded. If you live on a branch with high ridership but insufficient off-peak service levels (i.e west of Huntington or west of Ronkonkoma), those 8, 10, 12 car sets can fill up very quickly. I’m also not gonna elaborate much on New Jersey Transit, as I’m not as familiar nor follow it as much.

The LIRR & MNR’s December holiday service is all over the place, and it can be very confusing sometimes to understand, however, I have multiple upcoming posts (well in time for the holiday season) outlining the holiday service in the least confusing way.   

I'm really hoping things will go better this year; as this was a huge problem last year and there were many complaints, but if the LIRR would like to do better, they will need to put in some more effort, especially on those sticky 4 weekends from Thanksgiving to New Years!

I really hope you enjoyed this post, I've been looking forward to writing it for a while now, and I tried my best to make it as entertaining as possible, and also, everybody, have a happy Thanksgiving!

LIRR & MNR Thanksgiving Service 2024

Unlike many prior years, the LIRR will not be providing any extra trains this Thanksgiving, however, Metro-North will be putting up a show of extra trains on all of it's lines. 

I will be breaking up each of the lines into sections and pointing out any changes, and service-patterns for this season. I apologize in advance for any mistakes or for any confusion, I've tried to make this as straightforward as possible but it can get very hectic especially on Metro North.

Thanksgiving Eve - Wednesday, Nov. 27

Long Island Railroad:

• On Thanksgiving Eve, the LIRR will operate on a normal WEEKDAY schedule. 

• Train #14, the winter version of The Cannonball will run.

The Hudson Line:

• Metro-North is much more interesting, starting off in the AM rush hour when trains #718 (the 7:08 from Tarrytown) and #720 (the 7:09 from Croton-Harmon) will be combined to form #4720 which will make the combined stops of both trains.

• Train 836, the 7:03am super-express from Poughkeepsie will be annulled.

• A new train will depart Poughkeepsie at 8:50am, making New Hamburg & Beacon, followed by Peekskill, Croton-Harmon, Harlem-125th St, and Grand Central Terminal.

• To roundoff The Hudson Line on Thanksgiving Eve, Metro-North will operate 3 holiday-eve trains for people looking to get out of work early. 2 of these are 1:18 and 2:18pm super-expresses to Poughkeepsie, along with a 1:51p local to Croton-Harmon. In addition, train #736 (the 5:36pm from Grand Central making Tarrytown and all stops to Croton-Harmon) and train #761 (the 5:39 from Grand Central making Greystone, and all stops to Tarrytown

The Harlem Line:

• On The Harlem Line, train #520 (the 7:57a from Crestwood) and train #522 (the 7:53a from North White Plains) will combine into a new train titled #4522 which will depart North White Plains at 7:44 AM. 

• Train #729, which makes all stops from Southeast to Goldens Bridge, then North White Plains - Scarsdale, and Grand Central Terminal will be annulled outright.

• Interestingly, train 509, which conveniently departs Grand Central at 7:44am and makes White Plains and North White Plains only will be annulled outright.

• Trains #551 (the 4:45 pm making Harlem-125th St followed by Crestwood and all stops to NWP) and #351 (the 4:48 pm making Harlem-125th St followed by Mount Vernon West and then all stops to Crestwood) will be combined into #4551 which will depart at 4:45 and make the combined stops of both trains. I’d also like to point out that #573, the 7:08 pm express train that makes Hartsdale and all stops to North White Plains will also be removed from the schedule.

The New Haven Line:

• The New Haven Line is much bigger and more complex, but I'll try my best to explain today's changes as best as possible. Train #1417 (the 6:48a from South Norwalk) will not run, and neither will Train #1419 (the 6:30 from Bridgeport). They will both be combined into a new train #3419 which will make the combined stops. In addition, train #1427 (the 6:59am from Bridgeport) and Train #1437 (the 8:28am from South Norwalk) will both be annulled outright.

• Two holiday eve extra trains, one titled #3541 which leaves New Haven @8:24am and makes Bridgeport, Stamford, & Grand Central only, and the other one which departs New Haven at 5:14pm and also makes the same stops with Harlem-125 added will run.

• On the outbound side, the morning is the same but like usual, a couple of early afternoon holiday-eve trains will run. The first one #3536, will depart Grand Central Terminal at 2:28pm promptly, making Harlem-125, then running nonstop to Westport, and then make Fairfield and all stops to New Haven. The second train departs GCT at 2:56 pm and then makes Harlem, Larchmont, and all stops to Stamford. 

• In addition, #3538 & #3540 (the 3:03 & 3:27 holiday-eve trains from Grand Central) will also run and both make the same stops as #3536. 

• Shore Line East's through train from Stamford to New London will not run.

• Trains #1254 (the 5:18 pm from Grand Central making Harlem-125th St, New Rochelle - Harrison getting there at 6:00pm) and #1256 (the 5:21pm local from Grand Central to New Rochelle) will be combined into #3254 which will make the combined stops, but will only run on 11/27's holiday eve, and I think this combination is a very smart move on the MTA's part.

• Trains #1560, #1568 to New Haven, & #1470 to Bridgeport will be combined into a 5:21 pm making all combined stops. And finally, train #1572 (the 6:44p to New Haven) will not run.

Thanksgiving Day - Thursday, Nov. 28

Long Island Railroad-

• When I originally wrote this, they hadn’t posted the information, but to my pleasant surprise they posted the schedules yesterday.

• The LIRR will operate on a HOLIDAY schedule.

• The LIRR will operate a total of six additional westbound trains early Thursday morning for those going to see the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. 

• On the Babylon Branch heading WB, the first extra is #6143 which will operate just 5 minutes behind #6207 and will depart Babylon at 6:24 AM, make Lindenhurst at 6:29am, and make all stops to Rockville Centre, and Penn Station at 7:34. The second extra, #6243, will depart Babylon at 7:02am, make all stops to Rockville Centre, Jamaica, and Grand Central Terminal at 8:14am. The third and final extra, #6145, will depart Babylon at 7:27, make all stops thru Rockville Centre, Jamaica, and Penn at 8:41. I think these extras are timed perfectly for the parade! I even think the first one should be a regular train and replace #6207. 

• On the Ronkonkoma Branch, heading WB, the first extra, #7941, will depart Ronkonkoma at 6:15am, make all stops thru Hicksville, Mineola, Jamaica, and Penn Station at 7:37am. The second extra, #8141, will depart Farmingdale! @7:01am, make all stops to Jamaica, and Penn Station at 8:02am. The third extra, #8041, will depart Ronkonkoma at 6:48am and make all stops to Hicksville, Mineola, Jamaica, and Grand Central at 8:11. 

• Their will be eight additional extra eastbound trains for those coming home from the parade in the early afternoon.

• On the Babylon Branch heading EB, the first extra, #6140, will depart Pennsylavania Station at 11:32am, and stop at Jamaica, before making Lynbrook and every single stop to Babylon. The second extra, #6142, will depart Penn Station at 12:08pm and make Jamaica, Rockville Centre, and all stops. The third extra, #6240, will depart Grand Central at 12:28pm, make Jamaica, Lynbrook, and all stops to Babylon. The fourth and final extra, #6242, will depart Grand Central at 12:48pm and make Jamaica, Rockville Centre, and all stops.

• On the way home on Ronkonkoma, the first extra, #7940, departs Penn Station at 11:20, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, and all stops to Farmingdale arriving there at 12:22pm. The second extra departs Grand Central Terminal at 12:13pm, makes Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, and all stops to Ronkonkoma besides Pinelawn. The third extra, #7942, departs Penn Station at 12:34pm, makes Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, Bethpage, Farmingdale, and all stops to Ronkonkoma. The fourth and final extra, #8042, departs Grand Central at 12:51pm, makes Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, Bethpage, Farmingdale, and all stops to Ronkonkoma, arriving there at 2:10pm. There’s also one extra train that departs Grand Central at 12:42pm, and makes Jamaica, New Hyde Park, and all stops to Huntington, but there’s no WB equivalent. 

The Hudson Line-

• There will be 3 additional trains out of Poughkeepsie early for the parade. There will also be one additional inbound train out of Poughkeepsie at 7:38pm making New Hamburg, Beacon, Peekskill, Croton-Harmon, Harlem-125, and GCT.

• A Thanksgiving-only train, #4817, will depart Grand Central Terminal at 10:48am and then stop at Harlem-125th St, Croton-Harmon, and all stops to Poughkeepsie. They will also operate an additional train departing GCT at 10:52 and it will make Harlem-125, then run express to Marble Hill before making every stop to Croton-Harmon.

• 2 trains to Poughkeepsie, #4119 & #4821 will depart Grand Central 20 minutes apart (11:28 & 11:48) and then will make Harlem-125, and all the regular stops to Poughkeepsie. They will then operate an extra train, train #4725, departing the crowded train shed at 11:52 and then making Harlem, Marble Hill, and all stops to Croton-Harmon.

• A Thanksgiving-only train, #4823, will depart Grand Central Terminal at 12:08pm and make Harlem-125, Croton-Harmon, and all regular stops to Poughkeepsie, followed by #4825 making the same stops exactly 20 mins later, and #4127 also 20 minutes later. Then there’s #4729, which makes Harlem-125, Yankees E 153rd St, Marble Hill, and all stops to Croton-Harmon. I’ve decided not to continue after this as it’s just so difficult to cover all these extras

The Harlem Line-

• On The Harlem Line, MN is assigning three extra trains into Grand Central. These trains will depart Southeast at 5:29, 6:29, and 7:29, and the first one will make all stops to White Plains before Harlem-125 & New York. The other two will make all stops to Crestwood, and then fly into Harlem. These trains will arrive GCT at 7:10, 8:10, 9:10am. 

• Heading back from Grand Central, a new train, #4219, will depart Grand Central at 9:40, make Harlem-125, White Plains and all stops to Southeast besides Mount Pleasant. 

• The 10:12am trip from Grand Central to Crestwood will be annulled for an unknown reason. And, a new extra, #4221, will depart Grand Central at 10:40, make Harlem, White Plains, and all stops. The next extra train, #4223, will depart Grand Central at 11:00am, make Harlem-125th St, White Plains, Chappaqua, Mount Kisco, Katonah, Crotonfalls, Brewster, Southeast. 

• A new extra train, #4221, will depart Grand Central at 11:40, make Harlem, White Plains, and all stops.

• Following that, #4227, will depart Grand Central at 12:00pm make Harlem, White Plains, Chappaqua, Mount Kisco, Katonah, Crotonfalls, Brewster, Southeast. 

• Following that, #4229, will depart Grand Central at 12:31pm make Harlem, White Plains, Chappaqua, Mount Kisco, Katonah, Crotonfalls, Brewster, Southeast. 

• Following that, #4231, will depart Grand Central at 1:00pm make Harlem, White Plains, Chappaqua, Mount Kisco, Katonah, Crotonfalls, Brewster, Southeast. 

The Danbury Branch-

• Metro-North will operate one thru-train each on this special day. The inbound train will depart Danbury Union Station at 6:08am, make all stops to Stamford, then Harlem-125 and NY-Grand Central at 8:17.

• The outbound train will depart Grand Central at 12:19pm, then make Harlem-125, Stamford, and all stops to Danbury. 

Black Friday - Friday, Nov 29

Long Island Railroad-

• The LIRR will operate on a normal WEEKDAY schedule.

• Train #2710, the off-season Cannonball will run.

• Off-peak fares will be in affect all day.

The Hudson Line:

• Metro-North is much more interesting, starting off in the AM rush hour when trains #718 (the 7:08 from Tarrytown) and #720 (the 7:09 from Croton-Harmon) will be combined to form #4720 which will make the combined stops of both trains.

• Train 836, the 7:03am super-express from Poughkeepsie will be annulled.

• A new train will depart Poughkeepsie at 8:50am, making New Hamburg & Beacon, followed by Peekskill, Croton-Harmon, Harlem-125th St, and Grand Central Terminal.

• To roundoff The Hudson Line on Thanksgiving Eve, Metro-North will operate 3 holiday-eve trains for people looking to get out of work early. 2 of these are 1:18 and 2:18pm super-expresses to Poughkeepsie, along with a 1:51p local to Croton-Harmon. In addition, train #736 (the 5:36pm from Grand Central making Tarrytown and all stops to Croton-Harmon) and train #761 (the 5:39 from Grand Central making Greystone, and all stops to Tarrytown

The Harlem Line:

• On The Harlem Line, train #520 (the 7:57a from Crestwood) and train #522 (the 7:53a from North White Plains) will combine into a new train titled #4522 which will depart North White Plains at 7:44 AM. 

• Train #729, which makes all stops from Southeast to Goldens Bridge, then North White Plains - Scarsdale, and Grand Central Terminal will be annulled outright.

• Interestingly, train 509, which conveniently departs Grand Central at 7:44am and makes White Plains and North White Plains only will be annulled outright.

• Trains #551 (the 4:45 pm making Harlem-125th St followed by Crestwood and all stops to NWP) and #351 (the 4:48 pm making Harlem-125th St followed by Mount Vernon West and then all stops to Crestwood) will be combined into #4551 which will depart at 4:45 and make the combined stops of both trains. I’d also like to point out that #573, the 7:08 pm express train that makes Hartsdale and all stops to North White Plains will also be removed from the schedule.

The New Haven Line:

• The New Haven Line is much bigger and more complex, but I'll try my best to explain today's changes as best as possible. Train #1417 (the 6:48a from South Norwalk) will not run, and neither will Train #1419 (the 6:30 from Bridgeport). They will both be combined into a new train #3419 which will make the combined stops. In addition, train #1427 (the 6:59am from Bridgeport) and Train #1437 (the 8:28am from South Norwalk) will both be annulled outright.

• Two holiday eve extra trains, one titled #3541 which leaves New Haven @8:24am and makes Bridgeport, Stamford, & Grand Central only, and the other one which departs New Haven at 5:14pm and also makes the same stops with Harlem-125 added will run.

• On the outbound side, the morning is the same but like usual, a couple of early afternoon holiday-eve trains will run. The first one #3536, will depart Grand Central Terminal at 2:28pm promptly, making Harlem-125, then running nonstop to Westport, and then make Fairfield and all stops to New Haven. The second train departs GCT at 2:56 pm and then makes Harlem, Larchmont, and all stops to Stamford. 

• In addition, #3538 & #3540 (the 3:03 & 3:27 holiday-eve trains from Grand Central) will also run and both make the same stops as #3536. 

• Shore Line East's through train from Stamford to New London will not run.

• Trains #1254 (the 5:18 pm from Grand Central making Harlem-125th St, New Rochelle - Harrison getting there at 6:00pm) and #1256 (the 5:21pm local from Grand Central to New Rochelle) will be combined into #3254 which will make the combined stops, but will only run on 11/27's holiday eve, and I think this combination is a very smart move on the MTA's part.

• Trains #1560, #1568 to New Haven, & #1470 to Bridgeport will be combined into a 5:21 pm making all combined stops. And finally, train #1572 (the 6:44p to New Haven) will not run.

Saturday & Sunday - Nov 30 & Dec 1

Long Island Railroad-

• The LIRR will run on a WEEKEND schedule.

The Hudson Line-

• The Hudson Line will run on a WEEKEND schedule, with no changes.

The Harlem Line-

• As with the Hudson Line, no changes.

The New Haven Line- 

• Unlike her counterparts, The New Haven line will offer a couple of trains today in both directions. These trains are scheduled to run Saturdays only 11/30 through 12/28. The first four trains, #3515, #3517, #3521, & #3523 will depart New Haven at 8:05, 8:29, 9:26, and 9:58am respectively, and the first two will make all stops to Fairfield, then Westport, South Norwalk, Darien, Stamford, Harlem-125, and Grand Central. The latter two will make New Haven, West Haven, Bridgeport, Fairfield-Metro, Fairfield, South Norwalk, Stamford, Harlem-125, and Grand Central. 

• Heading back to New Haven, the first extra train will depart Grand Central at 4:53, make Harlem-125, then run nonstop to Westport, Fairfield, and all local stops to New Haven (getting there at 6:46pm). The second extra train will depart Grand Central Terminal at 5:59pm, make Harlem-125, then run nonstop to Westport, Fairfield, and all local stops to New Haven (getting there at 7:53pm). The third & fourth extra trains will make the same stops as the previous one, except departing at 6:59pm & 7:59pm and arriving New Haven at 8:53 and 9:53pm.

The Saturday & Sunday following Thanksgiving are usually known to be the busiest weekend for rail travel in the country. While it may not be as busy as a usual day on commuter railroads such as LIRR, Amtrak, for example, gets floods of reservations for people wanting to go home all over the country. In some cases, there is so much demand that they operate extra trains!

I apologize for any typos I have made, or if this is confusing, this has been a very rewarding but difficult post to make, so, I urge you to also check the official timetables.

So if your travelling this Thanksgiving season, whether to see family on 11/27, the famous parade on 11/28, or even to make use of the Black Friday deals on 11/28, try taking the train this holiday season as there's good & reliable service almost everywhere that will be perfectly willing to get you places just as fast, or faster!