The summer migration to the sand is officially on. The MTA has rolled out its Memorial Day and warm-weather service plan, headlined by the Long Island Rail Road's seasonal Cannonball and backed by a tangle of subway and bus detours meant to keep beachgoers and holiday drivers moving. Montauk weekend trains are set to run through Labor Day and into early September, and several key lines will see temporary suspensions or shuttle buses for track, switch and elevator work. If you are heading for the Rockaways, Coney Island or the Hamptons, this is not the weekend to wing it without checking a schedule.
Montauk trains and Cannonball return
The LIRR's Cannonball, the seasonally branded express from Penn Station to the East End, is back in action and will run as an express to the Hamptons most Thursdays and Fridays this summer. Montauk trains will also operate every weekend beginning Memorial Day through Labor Day and into the first weekend in September, giving city escapees plenty of chances to flee for the shoreline. On the commuter rail side, Metro-North is rolling out a summer Day Pass along with a new family plan that lets kids ride for $1 each way. All of this is part of the agency's holiday and summer service advisory, according to MTA.
Subway and bus changes across the city
Underground, things get a little trickier. The M subway will be suspended from 11:30 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Tuesday to allow elevator work at Myrtle Avenue. In its place, shuttle buses will run between Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue and Marcy Avenue, and another shuttle will connect Broadway Junction and Marcy Avenue.
The J line will operate in two sections, running between Jamaica Center and Broadway Junction and then between Marcy Avenue and Broad Street. The 4 train will be suspended between Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall and Crown Heights-Utica Avenue for a track-switch replacement, so riders on that corridor will need alternatives.
On the bus side, the Q35 will serve Jacob Riis Park's bathhouse during extended hours through September 7, with many trips diverting mid-route to make the beach connection work. Meanwhile, D, F, N and Q trains will see extra service to Coney Island for anyone chasing boardwalk and funnel cake, as reported by Brooklyn Eagle.
Plan ahead
On Memorial Day itself, the system shifts into holiday mode. Subways and buses will operate on a weekend/Sunday schedule, and any bus route that does not normally run on Sundays will not operate on Monday. To keep traffic from becoming a total parking lot, MTA Bridges & Tunnels will suspend daytime lane-closure work for the holiday.
Riders are urged to check the MTA app, mta.info and the Weekender newsletter for the latest real-time updates and alternatives. For the most current alerts and trip-planning tools, customers should consult the agency directly, according to MTA.
.jpg){kind=link}