Buses To Partly Replace LIRR Trains On Ronkonkoma Branch Saturday Morning

Buses will substitute for eight overnight Long Island Rail Road trains between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma early Saturday while workers conduct routine track inspections, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced.

The work will be done from midnight to 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 8 to inconvenience the fewest number of customers, the MTA says. But anyone going out into New York City on Friday night or traveling early Saturday may have to deal with these changes.

To avoid a bus connection, customers can instead travel on the Port Jefferson Branch, Babylon Branch or Montauk Branch. Bus and train timetables can be found here.

“This specialized ultrasonic rail testing is an important component of our ongoing efforts to ensure the continued safety of our rails,” LIRR President Patrick Nowakowski said in a press release.

The tests will be performed using a specialized diagnostic car fitted with ultrasonic and induction test equipment to detect internal rail defects, the MTA says. Any defects that are found will be corrected immediately.

"Upon the completion of the Ronkonkoma Branch Double Track project, outages of this nature will no longer be necessary," Nowakowski said. "In the future we will be able to conduct overnight rail testing and operate train service on the adjacent track."

The MTA announced the following changes:

Eastbound

• The four Ronkonkoma Branch trains that depart Penn Station at 12:14 a.m., 1:21 a.m., 2:53 a.m. and 4:43 a.m., which normally travel as far as Ronkonkoma, will terminate at Farmingdale. Customers looking to travel to Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood, Central Islip or Ronkonkoma can change at Hicksville for express buses serving those stations.
• Buses are scheduled to depart Hicksville 10 minutes after the arrival of the train from Penn Station. The bus from Hicksville is the fastest option for customers traveling from New York City or Mineola. Customers traveling to Bethpage and Farmingdale will have normal train service and should stay on the train past Hicksville. Customers should plan for up to 43 minutes of additional travel time.

Westbound

• The four trains that normally originate at Ronkonkoma at 12:46 a.m., 2:13 a.m., 3:45 a.m. and 5:37 a.m. will instead originate at Farmingdale. Customers traveling from Ronkonkoma, Central Islip, Brentwood, Deer Park or Wyandanch will find local and express buses at these stations for travel to points west. Buses are scheduled to depart up to 45 minutes earlier than the normal train departure times.
• The express buses to Hicksville are the fastest choice for customers traveling to Mineola or New York City. They will connect at Hicksville for the regularly westbound trains to Penn Station. Local buses will provide intra-island service for those traveling as far west as Farmingdale. Customers starting their trips at Farmingdale and Bethpage will have normal train service, and will not need to transfer to buses.

Patch photo