Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, MTA Kicks Off Summer with Special Service Announcement

Return of LIRR Cannonball Train Kicks Off Summer Season; An Afternoon Weekday Train to Speonk gets Extended to Montauk

Three Sunday Montauk Trains Extended to Operate to Penn Station Offer Direct Trains to NYC

New York City Transit to Extend Rockaway Park Shuttle S Service from Rockaway Blvd, Bx12-SBS to Orchard Beach, and Q35 to the Jacob Riis Park Bath House

See Pictures & Video of Riders Boarding First Cannonball Greeted by MTA Leadership

See News Conference by MTA Leadership Prior to Boarding of First Cannonball of the Season

Buses, Subways, LIRR and Metro-North to Run on Sunday Schedules on Memorial Day

It's not the start of the summer season at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) without the first Cannonball leaving Penn Station. MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) President Rob Free today kicked off 2026 summer train service, highlighting the return of Cannonball service to Montauk. Following this afternoon's news conference, Chair Lieber and President Free greeted customers boarding the Thursday Cannonball, the 4:07 p.m. train from Penn Station to Montauk, as they began their travels for the Memorial Day Weekend. The Thursday Cannonball debuted in 2024 and follows the same stopping patterns as the original Cannonball which operates on summer Fridays.

"It's almost Memorial Day Weekend and you know what that means: the return of our iconic Cannonball service which takes folks all the way out to Montauk," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "These trains will leave in the afternoons and fly out east, stopping at Southampton, Bridgehampton, and Easthampton, before reaching the end of the line at Montauk. All of those journeys will start right here, in our beautiful Long Island Rail Road concourse at Penn Station."

"Today we open the summer of the 2026 season here at the Long Island Rail Road by seeing off the iconic Cannonball, which gets you to the Hamptons in a blistering one hour and thirty-five minutes," said Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free. "That is why this train is hands-down the best way to get out east of the south shore of Long Island. And there's plenty more service going out there and coming back to ensure people enjoy every moment they possibly can during their visit."

The Cannonball will continue to operate Thursdays (except June 18 and July 2) and Fridays (additionally June 18 and July 2) for the season. This train operates express to Westhampton (96 minutes on Fridays and 92 minutes on Thursdays), then stops at Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, and Montauk. The westbound Cannonball, scheduled to depart Sundays from Montauk at 6:21 p.m., will not operate this Sunday. Instead, it will operate on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25.

The MTA also announced service details for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and through the summer season. Metro-North Railroad will bolster afternoon service Friday, May 22, to accommodate New Yorkers getting an early start to their Memorial Day holiday. For Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, New York City Transit (NYCT), MTA Bus, LIRR, and Metro-North will run on a weekend/Sunday schedule. Customers are advised to check mta.info and the MTA app for the latest service updates.

Long Island Rail Road

On Friday, May 22, the LIRR will run regular weekday service.

On Saturday, May 23, the LIRR will operate on a normal Saturday schedule.

On Sunday, May 24, the LIRR will operate on a Saturday schedule. The summer Sunday afternoon trains from Montauk at 1:46 p.m., 4:17 p.m., and 6:21 p.m., and the 3:25 p.m. westbound train from Southampton will not operate on Sunday, May 24. These trains will run on Monday, May 25, instead.

On Monday, May 25, LIRR trains will run on a Sunday (holiday) schedule.

LIRR's Montauk summer trains will operate every weekend beginning Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Metro-North Railroad

On Friday, May 23, in addition to the extra East of Hudson trains that operate only on Fridays, Metro-North will operate eight extra afternoon trains on the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines to accommodate customers heading out early for the three-day weekend.

On the Port Jervis Line, Metro-North will operate one extra train to Port Jervis, NY, to accommodate customers heading out early for the three-day weekend, departing Hoboken at 2:41 p.m., with a 2:34 p.m. connection from New York Penn Station. The 6:14 p.m. train departing Hoboken to Port Jervis, with a 6:06 p.m. connection from New York Penn Station, is cancelled on Friday to best reallocate equipment and accommodate Memorial Day weekend travel patterns.

On Saturday, May 24, Metro-North will run on a normal Saturday schedule.

On Sunday, May 25, Metro-North will operate on a normal Sunday schedule.

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, Metro-North's East of Hudson lines will operate on a Sunday schedule.

On the Port Jervis Line, Metro-North will operate one extra train from Port Jervis, NY departing Port Jervis at 4:05 p.m., stopping at all stations between Port Jervis and Suffern, then express to Secaucus Junction and Hoboken, arriving at 6:24 p.m., with a connecting train from Secaucus Junction to New York Penn Station arriving at 6:33 p.m.

This summer, riders can purchase a Day Pass for unlimited travel between the selected zone pairs from the time of purchase until 4:00 a.m. the following day. Riders can also purchase a new Metro-North Family Plan, with which an adult can travel with up to four children ages 5-17, with each child paying only $1 for each way of travel.

New York City Subway

Starting on Saturday, May 23, through Labor Day Weekend, New York City Transit is extending weekend Rockaway Park Shuttle service to Rockaway Blvd to provide customers with better connections to the Rockaways this summer.

To serve customers heading to Coney Island this summer, trains will run every 3 minutes in and out of the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station every day including weekends.

To accommodate critical track, switch, and structural work, there will be planned subway service changes during Memorial Day Weekend. Customers are advised to check mta.info or the MTA app for real-time service updates and alternatives and sign up for the MTA Weekender Newsletter to help plan their trip.

Starting as early as 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 22, to 5:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, there will be service changes due to track work:

• Friday 11:30 p.m. to Monday 10:30 a.m., there will be no service between 74 St-Broadway, Queens and 34 St-Hudson Yards. trains will run in Queens between ‌Flushing-Main St and 74 St-Broadway, the last stop, every 10 minutes, during days and evenings. These changes are due to accessibility work, track replacement, track maintenance, switch maintenance.
  • Free shuttle buses run along three routes:
    • between 74 St-Broadway and Queensboro Plaza, making local stops.
    • between Queensboro Plaza and Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av, making local stops.
    • overnight in Manhattan between Times Sq-42 St and 34 St-Hudson Yards.
  • The 42 Street Shuttle will run overnight.
  • service runs more frequently during days and evenings.
  • These changes are due to accessibility work, track replacement, track maintenance, switch maintenance.
• Friday 11:30 p.m. to Tuesday 5:00 a.m., service is suspended. These changes are due to elevator ADA work at Myrtle Ave, as well as track replacement and structure painting.
  • Free B107 shuttle buses will make stops between Middle Village-Metropolitan Av and Marcy Av.
  • J service runs in two sections:
    • Between Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer and Broadway Junction
    • Between Marcy Av and Broad St.
  • Free T433 shuttle buses will make stops between Broadway Junction and Marcy Av.
  • These changes are due to elevator ADA work at Myrtle Ave, as well as track replacement and structure painting.
• Friday 11:30 p.m. to Tuesday 5:00 a.m., there will be no service between Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall and Crown Hts-Utica Av/New Lots Av. These changes are due to track switch replacement.
  • service will operate to New Lots Ave all weekend.
  • There will be no service between Grand Central-42 St and Bowling Green. trains will run between Eastchester-Dyre Av and Grand Central-42 St, the last stop. Trains will run every 12 minutes during days and evenings.
  • These changes are due to track switch replacement.

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, subways will operate on a Sunday schedule.

New York City Buses

Effective Friday, May 22, 2026, through Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, the Q35 provides seasonal summer beach service directly to and from Jacob Riis Park. The Q35 will be diverted into Jacob Riis Park, stopping on Rockaway Beach Boulevard at the Bath House. This service is only provided from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. weekdays, and 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. During this time, all Q35 trips in both directions divert, mid-route, to serve Jacob Riis Park. Bx12 weekend service to Orchard Beach begins Saturday, May 23, and will also run on Memorial Day and will continue through the end of August.

On Saturday and Sunday, buses will operate on a normal schedule.

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, buses will operate a Sunday schedule. Routes that do not normally operate on Sundays will not be operating on Memorial Day.

Some Staten Island express buses will provide additional trips with earlier departure times from Manhattan on Friday, May 22, between 12:00 p.m. and 1:35 p.m. Please check mta.info for the latest service information.

Staten Island Railway

The Staten Island Railway will operate on a normal schedule on Friday, May 23.

• On Sat., May 23: Between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., the Tottenville-bound trains will be running on the Saint George-bound tracks between Eltingville Station and Pleasant Plains Station. The affected stations are: Eltingville Station, Annadale Station, Huguenot Station, Prince's Bay Station, Pleasant Plains Station.
• On Sunday, May 24: Between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., the Saint George-bound trains will be running on the Tottenville-bound tracks between Grasmere Station and Tompkinsville Station. The affected stations are: Grasmere Station, Clifton Station, Stapleton Station, and Tompkinsville Station.

Additional SIR boarding changes in effect:

• On Sat., May 23: Between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., the Tottenville-bound trains will depart 2-minutes earlier than regularly scheduled.

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• On Sunday, May 24: Between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., the Tottenville-bound trains will depart 2-minutes later than regularly scheduled, and the Saint George-bound trains will depart 5-minutes earlier than regularly scheduled.

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, Staten Island Railway will operate on a Sunday schedule.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels

MTA Bridges and Tunnels will suspend daytime scheduled maintenance and construction requiring lane closures beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, through 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26. Scheduled roadway closures for critical work may be permitted during overnight hours when traffic permits.

There will be no scheduled temporary roadway closures in any direction during the rush hour periods to maintain maximum roadway availability during the busy travel weekend.

Ways to Stay Informed

mta.info - The definitive source for real-time arrival information and service change information for each line or route in the MTA system. Customers can find current statuses on mta.info and upcoming planned service changes using the lookup tool at mta.info/alerts.

MTA app - Customers who use the comprehensive MTA smartphone app will see real-time train, bus and rail arrival times, and can chat with our customer care team all in one place. The app is available in the Apple Store and in Google Play.

TrainTime app - The MTA's TrainTime app is the essential companion to navigating the commuter rail system. Customers can plan their trip, purchase tickets, check train status, and chat with customer service, all in one app. The app is available in the Apple Store and Google Play.

Email Alerts - Customers can sign up for email alerts tailored to their specific commutes and travel times. They can also sign up for MTA newsletters like The Weekender, a weekly newsletter that covers major weekend planned service changes. Customers can sign up here.

511 - Customers who prefer to contact the MTA by telephone, information is available by dialing 511. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the MTA at 511.