What to Know
- Amtrak and the LIRR will return to their normal weekday schedules on Tuesday, Sept. 5
- The MTA said discounted fares, as well as alternate ferry and bus services, will end on Friday, Sept. 1
- NJ Transit also said that service will return to normal on Sept. 1
Regular weekday service for will resume for Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit riders on the day after Labor Day, officials said.
Thursday's announcement comes the same day Amtrak said it would resume regular train service at Penn Station on Tuesday, Sept. 5, following eight weeks of infrastructure repairs at the station.
The MTA said discounted LIRR fares for traveling to alternative stations, which were put in place during the overhaul, will end on Friday, Sept. 1. Temporary bus and ferry service put in place for LIRR riders will also end on Sept. 1.
NJ Transit officials said Midtown Direct trains on the Morris and Essex Line will no longer be diverted to Hoboken Terminal and that North Jersey Coast Line trains will resume operating into Hoboken.
As with LIRR, NJ Transit's alternative travel options, discounted fares and cross-honoring will end on Sept. 1, as will morning peak-period express buses to Port Authority from Morristown, Madison, Summit, Maplewood, South Orange and Newark Broad Street.
NJ Transit will no longer cross-honor with PATH and NY Waterway starting Saturday, Sept. 2 at 3 a.m. However, new ferry service between Hoboken and West 39th Street in Manhattan will continue to operate.
Amtrak says the repair project at Penn Station is being completed on schedule. The repairs affected hundreds of thousands of commuters who use the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak.
During the repairs, Amtrak had diverted some trains between New York City and Albany to Grand Central Terminal. It also had cut back some service between New York and Washington, D.C.
Two derailments and other problems in the spring prompted Amtrak to speed up the schedule for the repairs, which initially were to be completed over a few years.
In an interview with NBC 4 New York last week, Amtrak Chief Operating Officer Scot Naparstek said he expected to have full service restored on time, or even ahead of schedule. He said commuters should expect an on-time service of more than 90 percent.
“We are used to running Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit at 90-plus percent on-time performance,” Naparstek said. “I expect to be running well above 90 percent when we restore service, so that’s got to be our goal.”
