MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) President Rob Free recently kicked off summer train service, highlighting new trains introduced in the schedules that took effect on May 19. This includes the 5:13 p.m. train from Penn Station to Montauk, which is now operating Monday through Friday in the summer instead of only Thursdays and Fridays.
Following the news conference, Free greeted customers boarding the Thursday Cannonball, the 4:07 p.m. train from Penn Station to Montauk as they began their travels for the Memorial Day Weekend. The Thursday Cannonball debuted last year and follows the same stopping patterns as the original Cannonball, which operates on Fridays during the summer. The train departs Penn Station at 4:07 p.m. and operates express to Westhampton, then makes stops at Southampton, Bridgehampton, Easthampton and Montauk. On May 22, eight hundred ten passengers rode the inaugural Thursday Cannonball for the 2025 season.
“The real start to the summer season is days before Memorial Day when the First Cannonball departs Penn Station,” Free said. “With 97% of trains arriving on time and ridership surging, there’s never been a better time to visit Long Island by rail than this summer.”
In addition to these seasonal express trains, the 5:13 p.m. train, which only operates to Speonk outside of the summer months, will operate to Montauk Monday through Friday. Originally, this train only operated to Montauk on summer Fridays, and for the first time last year, it was added to operate on Thursdays during the summer as well. And now, this train has been expanded to run to Montauk for the entire week, Monday through Friday during the summer season, offering East End goers more flexibility through more travel options and helping disperse ridership to Montauk throughout the week. The 5:13 p.m. train from Penn Station operates to Jamaica, express to Babylon, and makes all local stops between Babylon and Montauk.
On May 19, new LIRR schedules took effect, including the return of summer service on the Long Beach and Ronkonkoma branches in addition to Montauk service, as well as the return of off-peak, midday service between Ronkonkoma and Greenport.
For trips back into the city from Montauk, the new schedules offer more convenient return trip options with two new Sunday Montauk trains extended to operate into Penn Station, instead of terminating at Jamaica, where customers would then have had to transfer. This direct service to Penn Station offers new one-seat ride opportunities. Aside from Montauk service, two new early morning weekday trains have been added to enhance service to Grand Central Madison.
To accommodate peak ridership months from May to September, the LIRR has reopened the western end of both platforms of the Babylon Station as scheduled to accommodate greater passenger flow. The Babylon Station serves as a transfer point to/from Montauk trains for non-direct trains. The opening of the platforms marks the completion of Phase 1 of the ADA Babylon Rehabilitation project, which began last year in September. The remaining half of each platform will close for construction this September.
Customers are encouraged to plan ahead and check the MTA website or TrainTime app prior to traveling.