Large crowds cause delays on LIRR trains to Shinnecock Hills for U.S. Open
The trains to the U.S. Open were so packed that people were being left on the platform on Thursday. Credit: Newsday/Alexandra Moreo
For Long Island Rail Road riders getting to the first round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Thursday morning, delays and crowded trains to the temporary train station didn’t make for the most ideal trip.
The Montauk line trains faced scattered delays due to the high number of passengers heading to the Open. The morning trains faced delays of up to 40 minutes, prompting Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials to add one extra train to shuttle passengers to a special station built at Shinnecock Hills. One morning train from Babylon to Patchogue was canceled and replaced with bus service.
By Thursday afternoon, trains heading east to Montauk were delayed by 10 to 15 minutes.
For most riders, though, the delays didn’t damper the experience of getting to see major championship golf on the Island.
“Better than sitting in traffic,” said Anthony Romano, 62, of Massapequa Park. “Other than the delays, everything was fine.”
Tom Sullivan, 62, of Wantagh, said: “Getting in here is a bit of a — they could [be] a little bit more efficient, but that’s all right.”
Romano and Sullivan attended the Open together, boarding the LIRR at their respective hometown stations before making the transfer to Shinnecock Hills at Babylon.
Sullivan boarded the 8:24 a.m. train at Wantagh and was supposed to get into Babylon at 8:46 a.m. for the 8:57 a.m. train to Shinnecock Hills. That 8:57 a.m. train was scheduled to get into Shinnecock Hills at 10:10 a.m., though it arrived 11 minutes later at 10:21 a.m., according to the MTA TrainTime app.
But Sullivan said they experienced lengthy delays at Wantagh and Massapequa Park, missing their original transfer from Babylon before ultimately catching the 9:23 a.m. train from Babylon to Shinnecock Hills. That train was scheduled to arrive at Shinnecock Hills at 10:41 a.m., though the TrainTime app said it was 15 minutes late.
Still, despite their arrival being about 45 minutes later than anticipated, Romano said the experience was not an inconvenience.
The United States Golf Association built a temporary train platform for added stops at Shinnecock Hills, arriving near Stony Brook Southampton. Arriving passengers were guided through security across a pedestrian bridge across County Route 39 to the course.
Will Velkoff, 37, of West Islip, was at the Open on Thursday and was planning to attend again Friday. He ultimately decided to drive and arrived at 10:30 a.m.
“Yeah, I saw some stories yesterday on Instagram, and it looked like it was packed wall to wall with people,” he said. “I had a pass for Lot C, so I figured I'd wait the rush hour out and get in there in the morning in between rush-hour commute. So it worked out good. Took an hour to get here from West Islip, so not too bad.”
Lot C, located on County Road 39, is a short shuttle ride from Shinnecock Hills. Velkoff said the train was a consideration until Wednesday night, when he made the decision to drive.
“I was thinking about it until I saw some of the crowds, and I worried about getting home too,” he said. “Getting stuck on the platform if the train’s full, and then not getting another one for a half hour. So I figured I’d have the control of my own destiny here.”
Plenty of people in attendance Thursday came from New Jersey via public transit.
Ryan Shea and Luke Dolan of Hillsdale, New Jersey, took the NJ Transit from Secaucus to Penn Station, then the LIRR from Penn Station to Shinnecock Hills. They arrived at the course shortly after 11 a.m. and Dolan said “everybody got a seat” on the train there.
“I thought it went pretty smoothly,” Shea said. “We had to stop right before we got here. There was a little bit of a delay. But outside of that, pretty smoothly.”
Chris Piparo, 44, of Milltown, New Jersey, took the NJ Transit from New Brunswick to Penn Station, then grabbed a seat on the 6:35 a.m. train from Penn Station to Shinnecock Hills. The 6:35 a.m. train arrived at Shinnecock Hills at 9:15 a.m., according to the TrainTime app.
Piparo said the train became “mobbed” once he got to Long Island, though he didn’t mind people standing in the aisleway. He said the overflow of people started at Patchogue, continued at Speonk and got “really hairy” at Hampton Bays. He still noted the experience was “very smooth.”
The last time Shinnecock Hills hosted the U.S. Open in 2018, the LIRR saw more than 77,000 passengers, according to the MTA. The LIRR increased service during the 2018 championship.
The LIRR expected thousands to travel to Shinnecock Hills this week and was planning to run 25 trains Thursday and Friday for the championship rounds, including 12 arrivals and 13 departures. The LIRR planned to run 26 trains arriving and departing the U.S. Open on Saturday and Sunday.
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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