More trains from Penn Station Friday before July 4 weekend: LIRR

The Long Island Rail Road is providing eight extra afternoon trains out of Penn Station on Friday, July 2 for people looking to get an early start to the July 4 holiday weekend.

The extra trains will operate between 2:03 p.m. and 3:48 p.m. and provide additional service on the Port Jefferson, Babylon, Port Washington to Great Neck and Far Rockaway branches, the LIRR said Thursday in a news release.

Extra trains leaving for the Port Jefferson branch to Huntington will depart at 2:03 p.m., 2:31 p.m. and to Hicksville at 3:24 p.m.

The Babylon branch will have three additional trains leaving at 2:23 p.m., 2:48 p.m. and 3:31 p.m.

The Port Washington to Great Neck and Far Rockaway branches will have one additional train each - a 3:40 p.m. train for the Port Washington to Great Neck branch and a 3:48 p.m. train departing to the Far Rockaway branch.

The LIRR will operate on a weekend schedule on July 3 and 4 and a Sunday/holiday schedule on July 5. The regular Sunday afternoon Montauk Branch westbound trains from Montauk and the Hamptons will not operate on July 4, but instead operate on July 5.

Passenger cars will also be added to some regularly scheduled eastbound and westbound trains on that same day.

Further information is available from the LIRR's 24-hour travel information center on 631-231-LIRR in Suffolk County, 516-822-LIRR in Nassau County and 718-217-LIRR in New York City or at www.mta.info, the LIRR's website.