LIRR: Belmont Park train service to return

The railbirds are back on the railroad.

Horse racing enthusiasts heading out to the spring racing season at Belmont Park on Long Island are once again able to use mass transit to get to the track.

Long Island Rail Road officials are announcing an agreement with the New York Racing Association that will provide train service to the track in Elmont. The NYRA is subsidizing the costs of the service

The LIRR eliminated Belmont stops last year to contend with budget shortfalls. It cost $112,000 to operate the service in 2009. An NYRA spokesman declined to say how much it is paying the LIRR for the service, which runs to July 17.

Attendance dropped to 418,000 people last year at Belmont, the lowest in a decade.

Racing begins Friday.