After a six-week disruption, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is on track to restore the Port Washington Branch, which serves northeast Queens, to full strength immediately after Labor Day.
New schedules posted on the MTA’s website show that six weekday trains on the branch, which had been canceled in mid-July, will be restored beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 4. The cancellation was the result of ongoing work at the Harold Interlocking point in Woodside as part of the East Side Access project, which will eventually allow LIRR trains to access Grand Central Station.
Three trains in each direction will be restored on Sept. 4. They are:
- the 8:21 a.m. eastbound train out of Penn Station, which stops at Woodside and makes all stops on the branch to Port Washington;
- the 8:45 a.m. westbound train out of Port Washington, which makes all stops to Great Neck before running express through to Penn Station;
- the 4:22 p.m. eastbound train out of Penn Washington which runs express to Great Neck, then makes all stops to Port Washington;
- the 5 p.m. westbound train out of Port Washington, which makes all stops on the branch (except at Plandome and Murray Hill), then stops at Woodside and Penn Station;
- the 6:44 p.m. westbound train out of Great Neck, which stops at Little Neck, Douglaston and Bayside, then runs express to Flushing-Main Street before stopping at Woodside and Penn Station; and
- the 7:01 p.m. eastbound train out of Penn Station, which runs express to Bayside and Great Neck, then stops at Manhasset, Plandome and Port Washington.
Additionally, the LIRR will change the timing of 12 additional weekday trains (three eastbound, nine westbound) on Sept. 4. The LIRR had moved these trains a few minutes earlier or later to better serve passengers during the service disruptions.
The affected trains are as follows:
- The 7:04 a.m. eastbound express train out of Penn Station will move back to 7:01 a.m.; the train will arrive at the Woodside, Flushing-Main Street, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck and Great Neck.
- The 9:20 a.m. eastbound local train out of Penn Station will move back to 9:19 a.m.; it’s scheduled to arrive at Woodside at 9:30 a.m., then make all of its regular stops at the normal time.
- The 5:47 p.m. eastbound express train out of Penn Station will move back to 5:44 p.m.; the train runs express to Great Neck, then make all local stops to Port Washington.
- The 6:38 a.m. westbound train out of Port Washington will now depart at 6:45 a.m.; the train makes all local stops to Great Neck, then runs express while stopping only at Bayside and Penn Station.
- The 8:12 a.m. westbound train out of Port Washington will move back to 8:08 a.m.; the train makes all local stops to Great Neck, then runs express to Penn Station.
- The 8:26 a.m. westbound train out of Great Neck will move back to 8:24 a.m.; the train stops at Bayside, Auburndale, Broadway, Murray Hill, Flushing-Main Street and Penn Station.
- The 8:40 a.m. westbound train out of Great Neck will move back to 8:38 a.m.; the train makes all local stops to Penn Station.
- The 9:38 a.m. westbound train out of Great Neck will move back to 9:32 a.m.; the train makes all local stops to Penn Station.
- The 5:49 p.m. westbound train out of Great Neck will move back to 5:44 p.m.; the train makes all local stops to Bayside, then runs express to Flushing-Main Street, Woodside and Penn Station.
- The 6:20 p.m. westbound train out of Great Neck will now depart at 6:23 p.m.; the train makes all local stops to Penn Station.
- The 6:26 p.m. westbound express train out of Port Washington will move back to 6:24 p.m.; the train makes all local stops (except Plandome) to Penn Station.
- The 7:35 p.m. westbound train out of Port Washington will now depart at 7:39 p.m.; the train skips Plandome and makes all other stops to Penn Station.
Two trains which the LIRR had added to the line during the disruption period will be canceled: the eastbound express train out of Penn Station at 5:47 p.m., which stops at Great Neck, Manhasset, Plandome and Port Washington; and the 5:21 p.m. westbound local train out of Great Neck which makes all stops (except Woodside) to Penn Station.
The LIRR is implementing new schedules throughout the system that will take effect on Sept. 4. All schedules are good through Nov. 11.
For further information about Port Washington Branch service, visit mta.info/LIRR.
