New Service included in March 4 Timetables

On Monday, March 4th new timetables go into effect systemwide, and these new timetables include some new and restored services that will increase service to many stations.

Many may remember back in 2010 the LIRR was forced to cut a whole lot of trains in order to fix a huge hole in their budget.  But in an announcement last July the MTA announced that it would be restoring some of those cut trains (and adding some others). The MTA's announcement on its website included this table of services to be enhanced:

And while some of these service enhancements have already gone into effect, the March 4th timetable update brings the most restorations so far.  As shown in the above table, here are some of the service enhancements the LIRR is readying for March:

• More Farmingdale-Penn Station trains following the morning rush, leaving at 10:01a, 11:01a, and 12:01p, making all local stops to New Hyde Park, then Jamaica and Penn Station.
• Long Beach train #809 will be restored, leaving Long Beach at 6:09am weekdays, making stops to Jamaica (including Valley Stream, Rosedale, Lauerlton, and Locust Manor), then from Jamaica express to Atlantic Terminal.
• Late night service to Atlantic Terminal is extended to just before 2am.  The last eastbound train now leaves Atlantic Terminal at 1:37am weekdays, instead of 11:55pm now.  This will hopefully help carry some of the load from events at the Barclays Center, right across the street from Atlantic Terminal.  Westbound late-night service is also extended, with the last westbound train now leaving Jamaica at 1:19am weekdays, instead of 11:25pm.  Weekend late night service to Atlantic Terminal is extended to roughly 2am as well.
• Port Jefferson Branch train #662 will return to it's original service pattern.  Currently, this train runs between Huntington and Port Jefferson only, with people coming from points west being taken by electric train to Huntington, where they can connect to a diesel train to Port Jefferson.  But beginning March 4th, the train will now instead originate at Hunterspoint Avenue and will run all the way from Hunterspoint Avenue to Port Jefferson (with no transfer in Huntington required).  The extended train will now depart Hunterspoint Avenue at 5:12 pm weekdays.  Passengers from Penn Station will leave 2 minutes earlier at 5:04 pm and change trains at Jamaica instead of Huntington.
• On the Montauk Branch three additional trains are being added between Babylon and Patchouge/Speonk:
• Eastbound train #2782 will now depart Babylon at 10:36pm weekdays and make all local stops to Patchouge (passengers from New York/Brooklyn/Jamaica transfer at Babylon)
• Eastbound train #2730 will now depart Babylon at 12:37 am weekdays and make all local stops to Speonk. (passengers from New York/Brooklyn/Jamaica transfer at Babylon)
• Westbound train #2781 will now depart Patchouge at 11:22 om weekdays and make all local stops to Babylon. (passengers to New York/Brooklyn/Jamaica transfer at Babylon)
• Also on the Montauk Branch, an additional PM peak train to Montauk will be restored beginning March 4th.  Train #2712 will be returned to the schedule and will depart Hunterspoint Avenue at 4:30 pm weekdays, stopping at Jamaica, Bay Shore, Sayville, then all local stops to Montauk.  The original announcement said this train would be restored later on in May 2013, but it appears this one has come back early.  However, it is unclear weather this train will just be restored for the summer and disappear again in the fall or if it is back to stay for good.
• Plus these service changes to AM peak West Hempstead Branch trains that were originally left out of this post.

Additionally, many peak trains have had their New York/Brooklyn/Queens connections at Jamaica changed, so be sure to double check the new timetables to be sure your train or connection is still there.  The new schedules are now available on the LIRR's All Schedules page on the lower, left portion of page, and print copies of the new schedules will be coming to a station near you soon.