Belmont Stakes fans should travel to the park for the 155th running via LIRR trains or MTA buses

Take the train to the horses for the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes on June 10, with the Long Island Rail Road announcing not only additional trains to the racetrack from Grand Central Madison and Penn Station, but also connections for Metro-North riders with a new combo ticket.

The racetrack-bound trains will access the Belmont Park station, officials said, though the Elmont-UBS Arena station will not be in service.

“It’s the safest, easiest and greenest way to the stakes,” LIRR interim president and Metro-North president Catherine Rinaldi said in a statement.

New York Racing Association vice president of communications Pat McKenna called the LIRR “the easiest, most convenient way to travel to Belmont Park to witness history on June 10.”

Even though Kentucky Derby winner Mage finished third in the Preakness May 20, meaning there will be no Triple Crown winner in 2023, Belmont Stakes Day is expected to draw huge crowds to Belmont Park. As a result, the LIRR will have 21 trains leaving from Manhattan between 9:26 a.m. and 5:03 p.m., with 15 trains from Penn Station and six from Grand Central Madison. Trains will stop at Jamaica, where riders from Woodside, Brooklyn and Long Island stations can board for service to Belmont Park.

Immediately after the race and until the close of Belmont Park, return trains will depart every 15 minutes for service to Jamaica and Manhattan.

The Hempstead Branch will operate trains every two hours between 3:30 and 9:30 p.m., officials said, with westbound trains operating on an adjusted schedule. No alcoholic beverages will be permitted in Belmont Park or the facilities — and MTA police will be enforcing that no-alcohol policy on trains into and out of the Belmont Park station.

Enhanced MTA bus service also will be in play on race day, with additional Q2 and Q110 bus service to Belmont Park, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said.

For more information on security policies and permitted and prohibited items visit belmontstakes.com/event-info/security.

For more information on schedules and fares, customer service center agents are available via live chat or phone between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. For service-related questions, chat live with customer service agents through the LIRR TrainTime app. Or, to speak with an agent, call 511 or 718-217-LIRR (718-217-5477) and say “representative” at the prompt. Automated schedule information is available 24 hours a day by phone.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”