Changes coming to LIRR schedule starting Tuesday: What to know

Those who take Long Island Rail Road can expect new schedule changes to be implemented on Tuesday, most of which include more express trains to Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The MTA initially announced the changes earlier in the summer after riders complained about service, particularly after the opening of the Grand Central Madison station. Passengers at the time said they saw fewer trains going to Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal — so the transit agency said there will be increased service to the Manhattan hub, as well as more direct service to Brooklyn.

For the morning rush hour commute, direct service to Brooklyn from the Far Rockaway, Long Beach, Hempstead, and Huntington branches will be added, the MTA said. There will also be a change in which trains stop at certain stations in Queens — like Rosedale, Laurelton, Locust Manor, Queens Village and Hollis — as LIRR ridership data showed that more riders are traveling to Brooklyn from these locations, according to the MTA.

There will also be changes coming for all trains to and from Grand Central Terminal starting at 10:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. on weekdays, and until 7 a.m. on weekends. Some of those schedule changes include trains that used to run to Grand Central will now go to Penn Station instead. The MTA said the changes come in order to give riders coming from concerts or sporting events more choices, while also allowing crews to have more time to perform maintenance in the tunnels.

The changes take effect starting Tuesday. Here's a full breakdown of the changes coming to each line, according to the MTA:

Brooklyn service

Service between Jamaica and Brooklyn won't be changed, with trains still running about every eight minutes between the two stations, but there will be more through trains from Long Island rather than shuttles.

These are the other changes that could impact commutes:

• Westbound weekday service will start earlier, with a new Brooklyn-bound train departing Jamaica at 4:31 a.m.
• There is a new weekday train departing Atlantic Terminal at 3:32 p.m. to Jamaica.
• On weekdays between roughly 9:50 a.m. and 11:20 a.m., Brooklyn service will be reduced to one train per hour to allow for mandatory track inspections in the tunnel between Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica.

Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside

Most trains that stop at Kew Gardens during off-peak hours (midday, evening, night and weekend) will now also stop at Forest Hills and vice versa. There will also be changes coming to which trains stop at at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and/or Woodside during the morning hours, as the MTA said the changes come as part of an effort to "improve reliability."

Babylon Branch

• Direct service to Brooklyn will no longer be available during the morning peak to allow for more service on branches with higher Brooklyn ridership.
• The 7:49 a.m. train from Freeport will run to Grand Central instead of Atlantic Terminal.
• The 8:54 a.m. train from Freeport will no longer run. Alternate trains leave 16 minutes earlier or 6 minutes later.

Far Rockaway Branch

• In the morning peak rush hour, four of 10 trains from Far Rockaway will run to Atlantic Terminal instead of Manhattan, restoring direct service to Brooklyn on the branch.
• There will be a change in which trains stop at Rosedale, Laurelton and Locust Manor stations during the morning peak. These stops will mostly be made by trains going to Atlantic Terminal.
• On weeknights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., trains will run to and from Penn Station instead of Grand Central.

Hempstead Branch

• Different trains will be stopping at Elmont-UBS Arena, Queens Village and Hollis stations during the morning peak. There will be four direct trains to Brooklyn from these stations each morning, up from one.
• The 5:50 a.m. weekday train from Hempstead will run to Penn Station instead of Grand Central.
• The 6:24 a.m. weekday train from Hempstead will run to Grand Central instead of Penn Station.
• The 8:32 a.m. weekday train from Hempstead will run to Atlantic Terminal instead of Penn Station.

Long Beach Branch

• The 6:16 a.m. weekday train from Long Beach will run to Atlantic Terminal instead of Grand Central, restoring direct service to Brooklyn on the branch.
• The 3:48 p.m. weekday train from Penn Station to Long Beach will leave at 3:23 p.m. to provide more evenly spaced service.
• On weekend mornings from midnight to 7 a.m., trains will run to and from Penn Station instead of Grand Central.

Oyster Bay Branch

• The 6:55 a.m. train from Oyster Bay will now depart at 7:01 a.m. and will no longer stop at Glen Cove, Sea Cliff, Greenvale, Albertson, or Mineola.
• Riders on the 7:17 a.m. train from Oyster Bay who are traveling to Penn Station will transfer to an empty train that originates at Jamaica, reducing crowding.

Port Jefferson Branch

• Two new morning peak local trains to Penn Station have been added, leaving Westbury at 6:34 a.m. and Hicksville at 8:14 a.m.
• Two morning peak trains from Huntington will run express from Syosset or Hicksville to Jamaica.
• The 4:59 a.m. train from Huntington will run to Atlantic Terminal instead of Grand Central and leave five minutes earlier, at 4:54 am.
• The 7:52 a.m. train from Mineola will start in Westbury and run to Atlantic Terminal instead of Grand Central. These trains restore direct service to Brooklyn on the branch.

Port Washington Branch

• The 6:08 and 6:11 p.m. weekday trains from Grand Central will be combined into one train, making all stops to Port Washington.
• On weeknights from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., and on weekend mornings from midnight to 7 a.m., all trains will run to and from Penn Station instead of Grand Central.

Ronkonkoma Branch

• The 5:42 a.m. weekday train from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station will no longer run. Alternate trains are available 4 minutes earlier or 11 minutes later.
• A new weekday train will leave Penn Station at 2:55 p.m., stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, and all stops to Ronkonkoma except Pinelawn.
• The 4:09 p.m., 4:22 p.m., and 10:05 pm weekday trains will run from Penn Station instead of Grand Central.
• The 5:25 p.m. train from Penn Station to Brentwood will be extended to Central Islip and Ronkonkoma.

West Hempstead Branch

• The 6:26 a.m. weekday train from West Hempstead will run to Grand Central instead of Atlantic Terminal.
• The 7:01 p.m. weekday train from West Hempstead will no longer run east of Jamaica.