LIRR schedule adjustments made with Madison Square Garden crowds in mind

Long Islanders heading home after an event at Madison Square Garden may soon have a less crowded ride, as the LIRR has announced its latest schedule adjustments aimed at addressing evolving customer demand.

The changes, which take effect March 4, will include the addition of a 10:14 p.m. weeknight train from Penn Station to Babylon, and a 10:58 p.m. train from Penn to Ronkonkoma. Railroad officials said the two new trains are made possible by the elimination of other trains with low ridership — the 7:32 p.m. train from Penn to Wantagh, and the 7:14 p.m. train from Penn to Ronkonkoma.

In a statement, LIRR acting president Robert Free said the changes come in response to riders’ requests for “more comfortable trips home following events at MSG.”

“The LIRR extensively studied the new ridership patterns brought on by the new east side terminal as well as customer feedback to create updated timetables that meet both operational and ridership needs,” Free said.

Reduction of night service at Penn Station was a common source of complaints from LIRR riders following the schedule overhaul that came with the launch of full service to Grand Central Madison a year ago. The LIRR already restored some evening trains out of Penn in the fall.

Although demand remains higher at Penn than at Grand Central, Massapequa Park commuter Melissa Flanigan said that’s because the schedule for the new terminal on Manhattan’s East Side is “awful.” She hoped the new timetables would add service on the Babylon line out of Grand Central between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.— when there is just one direct train.

Grand Central Madison, Flanigan said, “may have lessened the crowds at Penn Station, however it hasn’t helped our evening commute home.”

Other forthcoming changes include the addition of a new morning peak train from Island Park to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn and the elimination of two eastbound Ronkonkoma branch trains between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Other schedule changes are necessitated by planned track work. They include a reduction in the frequency of service between Jamaica and Brooklyn during weeknights, and buses replacing trains between Ronkonkoma and Greenport from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays through mid-May.

For fans heading to MetLife Stadium on Sunday for the Rangers-Islanders game, the LIRR announced it will operate special “hockey express” service on the Ronkonkoma and Babylon lines. The extra trains head to Penn Station, where passengers can transfer to NJ Transit for connecting service to the Meadowlands.

Full schedule information is available on the TrainTime app and on the LIRR’s website, mta.info/lirr.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.