Transit
By Robert PozaryckiPosted on May 23, 2024
FILE – Commuters scramble to board The Cannonball express train to the Hamptons in 2023.
Marc A. Hermann / MTA
Memorial Day weekend means not only the unofficial start of summer, but also a litany of subway service changes that will impact how you get around town.
The MTA is taking advantage of the three-day weekend to expand track, switch and structural work on numerous subway lines — leading to rerouted trains and other disruptions. On Memorial Day Monday, May 27, the subways and Staten Island Railway will also operate on a Sunday schedule, so expect fewer trains throughout the system.
Subway service changes
During the holiday weekend, the MTA will perform track replacement work at the Broadway Junction hub in Brooklyn — impacting service on the J and L lines between 4 a.m. Saturday, May 25, and 10 p.m. Monday.
During this period:
- L trains will operate between 8th Avenue in Manhattan and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues in Brooklyn; shuttle buses will replace L trains between Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues and Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway.
- J trains will operate between Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer in Queens and Crescent Street in Brooklyn. Shuttle buses will replace J train service between Crescent Street and Myrtle Avenue-Broadway.
- M trains will replace all J trains between Manhattan and Brooklyn, running between Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue in Queens and Broad Street in Manhattan. Transfer between the M train and J train shuttle buses at Myrtle Avenue-Broadway.
The 2 train will also see Memorial Day service disruptions due to switch work north of the Nostrand Avenue station in Brooklyn. As a result, 2 trains will be suspended between President Street and Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College between 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 24, and 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 28.
During this period:
- 2 trains will run between Wakefield-241st Street in the Bronx and Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn, then switch to the 3 line between Franklin Avenue and Crown Heights-Utica Avenue.
- 3 trains will run between Harlem-148th Street and Chambers Street, then switch to the 1 line to Rector Street, which will be the last stop.
- 4 trains will be extended between Crown Heights-Utica Avenue and New Lots Avenue.
- Shuttle buses will make all 2 train stops between Franklin Avenue and Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College.
And E trains will make a big switch this weekend as structural rehabilitation work progresses on the 8th Avenue line in Manhattan. Between 9:45 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Tuesday, E trains will run on the F line in both directions between 21st Street-Queensbridge in Queens and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan.
During this period, the Court Square-23rd Street, Lexington Avenue-53rd Street and 5th Avenue-53rd Street stops on the E line will be closed. Riders are advised to use alternate lines and stations in Long Island City and Midtown.
Buses to the beach
On the street, all MTA New York City Transit Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day Monday. Several bus lines in the Bronx and Queens will also begin servicing local beaches for those heading to the shore.
Starting Friday, the Q22 and Q35 buses will serve the Jacob Riis Park bus stop in the Rockaways Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In the Bronx, the Bx12 will provide weekend service to and from Orchard Beach starting on May 25, and will also run on May 27.
For a full rundown of service changes impacting the subways, buses and commuter rails this weekend, visit mta.info.
The Cannonball runs again
Perhaps the biggest sign of summer’s arrival for the MTA is the return of the Cannonball, the popular, super-express Long Island Rail Road train that shuttles city-dwellers from Penn Station to the Hamptons every weekend through Labor Day in about 90 minutes time.
The Cannonball departs Penn Station every Thursday and Friday in the summer at 4:07 p.m. The train runs express to Westhampton, where it is scheduled to arrive at 5:41 p.m., then make stops at Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton and Montauk.
The westbound Cannonball will depart Montauk on Memorial Day Monday at 6:22 p.m., then every Sunday there after through Labor Day weekend at the same time.
If you can’t catch the Cannonball, you can take the LIRR summer trains bound for Montauk every weekend through Labor Day weekend.
For more information, visit mta.info/lirr.
