Connecting trains on LIRR

[FreeskierInVT]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience with connecting trains on LIRR? If I take a train from Penn Station to Stony Brook, one of the itineraries the MTA website gives me is:

From NEW YORK PENN STATION
Take the HUNTINGTON bound LIRR Train departing at 2:52 PM
Arrive at HUNTINGTON STATION at 3:59 PM
One Way Off-Peak Fare (Station/TVM) : $12.75 - Reduced Fare : $8.75

Transfer to the PORT JEFFERSON bound LIRR Train departing at 4:06 PM
Get off at STONY BROOK STATION at 4:43 PM

I'm concerned that 7 minutes isn't enough connecting time at Huntington station. Is that enough? Obviously I could take a later train but is the itinerary the MTA is giving me adequate?

Thanks

Josh

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Can't you just take the 4:19 PM Port Jefferson service to Stony Brook without any transfer? Then you don't need to worry about it.

 

[FreeskierInVT]

I would be connecting from the Ethan Allen Express train which gets into NYP at 1:50pm, and the MTA gave me two itineraries for service after 2pm, the one above and one that leaves NYP at 2:29pm which has longer connecting times at Jamaica.

I would make the 2:29 train if the Ethan Allen was close to being on time, but that isn't always the case. For other itineraries I've looked up I've been given even closer transfer times- as close as four minutes at Huntington or Jamaica- for other potential schedules I was looking up to connect with Amtrak trains heading out of NYP.

 

[tp49]

7 minutes is plenty of time to connect between trains in Huntington. It's just going from the platform you arrive on across the bridge to the awaiting Port Jeff train on the opposite platform. The train change is necessary because the Port Jeff branch is not electrified east of Huntington and they generally don't run the dual mode trains outside of the AM and PM rush hours.

 

[tp49]

Can't you just take the 4:19 PM Port Jefferson service to Stony Brook without any transfer? Then you don't need to worry about it.

He could do that too but then you get into the train at 2:29 being an Off-Peak train (and cheaper) than the 4:19 which is a Peak train and a few dollars more expensive.

 

[FreeskierInVT]

Having never taken the LIRR, are the trains normally running on-time? I've taken the Metro-North New Haven line before and each time I've taken it the the train was a good 10-15 minutes late.

If the LIRR train getting into Huntington is late (or vice versa), would the connecting train wait for passengers potentially transferring to it?

 

[jis]

Hi all,
Does anyone have any experience with connecting trains on LIRR? If I take a train from Penn Station to Stony Brook, one of the itineraries the MTA website gives me is:

From NEW YORK PENN STATION

Take the HUNTINGTON bound LIRR Train departing at 2:52 PM

Arrive at HUNTINGTON STATION at 3:59 PM

One Way Off-Peak Fare (Station/TVM) : $12.75 - Reduced Fare : $8.75

Transfer to the PORT JEFFERSON bound LIRR Train departing at 4:06 PM

Get off at STONY BROOK STATION at 4:43 PM

I'm concerned that 7 minutes isn't enough connecting time at Huntington station. Is that enough? Obviously I could take a later train but is the itinerary the MTA is giving me adequate?

Thanks

Josh

Josh,

Welcome to AU.

Don't worry. The primary purpose of the connecting train is to take connecting passengers from the New York train. It is a guaranteed connection.

Normally it will depart from the same platform that you arrive at in Huntington, so no bridge corossing will be involved.

Normally, the New York train will arrive at the north platform, discharge its passengers and pull forward to the linear yard beyond (to the east) of the station. On its heels the Port Jeff train, which will be a diesel double-decker train will pull in from a yard west of the station, pick up the connecting passengers and be on its way.

I went to school in Stony Brook and took this service many hundred times. Never was the connection missed, even when the train from New York came in half an hour late in a blazing blizzard in the middle of winter.

 

[FreeskierInVT]

Thanks so much for the info! From what I've looked up I'll have to connect at either Hicksville, Huntington or Jamaica to connect to trains to take me home to Vermont (either the Ethan Allen or Vermonter).

 

[jis]

Usually connections at any of those stations should be on the same platform not involving any crossing of bridges. LIRR is generally very good at maintaining connections.

 

[SubwayNut]

Even at Jamaica, they always make connections, I never bother to worry about keeping an LIRR connection or bother to look at connection times (look at the PDF of the Port Jefferson Branch) for example and you'll notice it's listed as a connection. Change at Jamaica is the ultimate way to be a LIRR rider, picture up three trains arriving at two platforms all within minutes (if not seconds of each other), the middle train opens its doors on both sides, passengers on the outside train who want to connect to the other train on the outside track are even told to walk through the train stopped on the middle track (that is also connecting with the other two trains) to make connections. It's what happens when a railroad has two (three during rush hours with Hunterspoint Avenue) western terminal, New York and Atlantic Terminal and nearly every train (except those on the Port Washington Branch) have connections within minutes of each other or continue to either terminus.

 

[FreeskierInVT]

Just glanced over the timetable. Coming from Vermont where there's just one train a day- that's a lot of trains

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Since I don't know much about the LIRR, where does the Port Jefferson connecting train originate from?

 

[MattW]

I believe it originates right there at Huntington.

 

[jis]

Since I don't know much about the LIRR, where does the Port Jefferson connecting train originate from?

Port Jefferson has four service patterns:
1. Weekday rush only - Through service from Port Jeff to New York Penn using double decker C3s powered by dual mode engines (used to be a single train each way, maybe that has increased, I don't know)

2. Jamaica to Port Jeff using DE powered C3 double deckers. Passengers change at Jamaica - mostly on weekdays select rush hour and shoulder trains. NYP passengers change at Jamaica.

3. Hicksville to Port Jeff shuttle connecting with New York Penn - Ronkonkoma EMUs, a few off peak hours on weekdays and a few (used to be) on weekends.

4. Huntington to Port Jeff shuttle connecting with New York Penn - Huntington EMUs. Usual weekend service.

Electrification ends at Huntington hence the need for diesel powered shuttles. All shuttles use C3 double deckers these days. Back in the days when I went to school in Stony Brook it used to be a string of Pullman cars pulled/pushed by an assorted mix of diesel engines. All of that has now been retired.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Since I don't know much about the LIRR, where does the Port Jefferson connecting train originate from?

Port Jefferson has four service patterns:
1. Weekday rush only - Through service from Port Jeff to New York Penn using double decker C3s powered by dual mode engines (used to be a single train each way, maybe that has increased, I don't know)

2. Jamaica to Port Jeff using DE powered C3 double deckers. Passengers change at Jamaica - mostly on weekdays select rush hour and shoulder trains. NYP passengers change at Jamaica.

3. Hicksville to Port Jeff shuttle connecting with New York Penn - Ronkonkoma EMUs, a few off peak hours on weekdays and a few (used to be) on weekends.

4. Huntington to Port Jeff shuttle connecting with New York Penn - Huntington EMUs. Usual weekend service.

Electrification ends at Huntington hence the need for diesel powered shuttles. All shuttles use C3 double deckers these days. Back in the days when I went to school in Stony Brook it used to be a string of Pullman cars pulled/pushed by an assorted mix of diesel engines. All of that has now been retired.

So, can't the OP ride to Jamaica then ride straight to Stony Brook? That seems like another option. Which station is better, Jamaica or Huntington?

So what are the shuttles powered with? A dual-mode or something else? Dual-modes seem to big for a shuttle.

 

[AlanB]

So, can't the OP ride to Jamaica then ride straight to Stony Brook? That seems like another option. Which station is better, Jamaica or Huntington?

That depends on the schedule. If the connection is at Jamaica at the time they want to travel, then they can change at Jamaica. If the connection is in Huntington, then they must change there. Huntington would be less confusing with only 2 tracks and an almost immediate connection. But either station is probably just fine.

So what are the shuttles powered with? A dual-mode or something else? Dual-modes seem to big for a shuttle.

Usually they have a straight diesel engine that looks exactly like the dual-modes, save the lack of third rail shoes and a different number series. But if need be a dual-mode can certainly haul the train.

 

[jis]

So, can't the OP ride to Jamaica then ride straight to Stony Brook? That seems like another option. Which station is better, Jamaica or Huntington?

That depends on the schedule. If the connection is at Jamaica at the time they want to travel, then they can change at Jamaica. If the connection is in Huntington, then they must change there. Huntington would be less confusing with only 2 tracks and an almost immediate connection. But either station is probably just fine.

That's right. I don't know of anyone going to Greenlawn, Northport, Kings Park, Smithtown, St. James, Stony Brook or Port Jeff who really cares where they change. They just change wherever the connection is for the service at the time they want to travel.

So what are the shuttles powered with? A dual-mode or something else? Dual-modes seem to big for a shuttle.

Usually they have a straight diesel engine that looks exactly like the dual-modes, save the lack of third rail shoes and a different number series. But if need be a dual-mode can certainly haul the train.

LIRR dual modes have so dramatically poor MDBF, that people jokingly say that it is a wonder if they actually manage to run through one of their regular runs without problem. So it is indeed quite rare to get a dual mode when a simple diesel will do. But still, it does happen from time to time.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

So, can't the OP ride to Jamaica then ride straight to Stony Brook? That seems like another option. Which station is better, Jamaica or Huntington?

That depends on the schedule. If the connection is at Jamaica at the time they want to travel, then they can change at Jamaica. If the connection is in Huntington, then they must change there. Huntington would be less confusing with only 2 tracks and an almost immediate connection. But either station is probably just fine.

That's right. I don't know of anyone going to Greenlawn, Northport, Kings Park, Smithtown, St. James, Stony Brook or Port Jeff who really cares where they change. They just change wherever the connection is for the service at the time they want to travel.

So what are the shuttles powered with? A dual-mode or something else? Dual-modes seem to big for a shuttle.

Usually they have a straight diesel engine that looks exactly like the dual-modes, save the lack of third rail shoes and a different number series. But if need be a dual-mode can certainly haul the train.

LIRR dual modes have so dramatically poor MDBF, that people jokingly say that it is a wonder if they actually manage to run through one of their regular runs without problem. So it is indeed quite rare to get a dual mode when a simple diesel will do. But still, it does happen from time to time.

Thanks for the info. I really don't know a lot about all this LIRR stuff, but looking through rosters gets a lot straight. What's MDBF?

 

[AlanB]

MDBF = Mean Distance Between Failures.

Translation, the average number of miles the engine or car ran between failures.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

MDBF = Mean Distance Between Failures.
Translation, the average number of miles the engine or car ran between failures.

Thanks, Alan! Those dual-modes must be very unreliable, then, like a lot of the imported buses (Van Hool, Dina, NABI, etc..) AFAIK, the Amtrak HHP-8 has poor MDBF as well.

 

[FreeskierInVT]

I'll be taking the LIRR for the first time this weekend, so I really appreciate all the info.

From STONY BROOK STATION
Take the HUNTINGTON bound LIRR Train departing at 2:46 PM
Arrive at HUNTINGTON STATION at 3:26 PM

Transfer to the PENN STATION bound LIRR Train departing at 3:35 PM
Get off at NEW YORK PENN STATION at 4:41 PM

Hopefully everything goes smooth. I'll be connecting to the Ethan Allen heading back up to Vermont for Labor Day.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I'll be taking the LIRR for the first time this weekend, so I really appreciate all the info.
From STONY BROOK STATION

Take the HUNTINGTON bound LIRR Train departing at 2:46 PM

Arrive at HUNTINGTON STATION at 3:26 PM

Transfer to the PENN STATION bound LIRR Train departing at 3:35 PM

Get off at NEW YORK PENN STATION at 4:41 PM

Hopefully everything goes smooth. I'll be connecting to the Ethan Allen heading back up to Vermont for Labor Day.

Happy travels! Tell us about your trip and take lots of pictures! As we all know, each one tells a thousand words!

 

[FreeskierInVT]

My plans changed, and now I'll be taking the 4:53am train from Stony Brook to Penn on Saturday morning, connecting to the 7:15am Maple Leaf and finally to the Adirondack in Albany (which was sold out direct from Penn).

Hopefully I'm on the right platform (and awake) on Saturday. Can't think of a better way to spend my birthday than on a train (though I probably could if I tried)...

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

My plans changed, and now I'll be taking the 4:53am train from Stony Brook to Penn on Saturday morning, connecting to the 7:15am Maple Leaf and finally to the Adirondack in Albany (which was sold out direct from Penn).
Hopefully I'm on the right platform (and awake) on Saturday. Can't think of a better way to spend my birthday than on a train (though I probably could if I tried)...

If you live in WAB, why not take the Vermonter?

 

[FreeskierInVT]

This trip I'm heading to Burlington, so taking the Adirondack to Port Kent and then a ferry across Lake Champlain gets me in earlier then the Vermonter. Plus I've been looking for an excuse to take the Adirondack for a while now.