By Philip Newman
The Long Island Rail Road will provide extra trains to Citi Field in Queens for Paul McCartney’s three concert performances July 17, 18 and 21.
The LIRR said trains will run to the Mets-Willets Point station on eastbound Port Washington branch trains from Penn Station and westbound trains from Great Neck and Port Washington. The trip is 18 minutes from Penn Station, six minutes from Woodside, 17 minutes from Great Neck and 27 minutes from Port Washington.
Fans leaving from LIRR branches other than Port Washington can reach the Mets-Willets Point station by taking a regularly scheduled train to the Woodside station and then change to an eastbound Port Washington branch train.
Since the Mets-Willets Point station is in the railroad’s Zone 1, tickets to that zone from outlying stations are valid to this station, but passengers must retain ticket stubs and inform ticket collectors of their intention to travel to Mets-Willets Point.
Tickets will be collected at Mets-Willets Point after customers leave the train. Concert-goers are advised to buy round-trip tickets before boarding.
Concerts start at 6:30 p.m.
For complete LIRR schedule and fare information, consult the LIRR 24-hour Travel Information Center at the following numbers:
• Suffolk County, 631-231-LIRR
• Nassau County, 516-822-LIRR
• New York City, 718-558-3022
Customers can also consult the LIRR Web site at mta.info.
City Field may be new, but the venue is not new to McCartney, who first appeared with The Beatles in 1965 at what was then Shea Stadium.
The Beatles’ appearance Aug. 15 of that year drew more than 55,000 people and was the first such concert at a major outdoor arena. More than 2,000 security personnel were on hand to keep order during an era of extreme Beatlemania.
Promoters of the concert said his organization claimed it took in $304,000, which some termed “a record in the history of show business.”
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 136.
