As the LIRR strike enters its second day Sunday, the 300,000 commuters who use the service each day will have to rely on a pastiche of bus routes to get in and out of New York City.
That said, the alternatives admittedly won’t come close to being able to handle the daily volume of North America’s busiest commuter rail system. As a result, Gov. Hochul and the MTA are strongly encouraging anyone who can work from home and avoid non-essential travel during the strike to do so.
For those who do plan to commute, here’s how to make the trip.
The MTA is providing free shuttle bus service to connect six spots on Long Island to the subway system in Queens during peak travel hours — to Queens from 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., and to Long Island from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.
Map of LIRR strike shuttle bus service. (MTA)
Three of those spots will offer peak-hour service and reverse-peak direction service:
— Bay Shore (LIRR) to Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train
— Huntington (LIRR) to Jamaica-179 St F train at Hillside Ave. and 179 St.
— Ronkonkoma (LIRR) to Jamaica-179 St F train at Hillside Ave. and 179 St.
The other three will offer peak service only:
— Hempstead Lake State Park, near Lakeview (LIRR), to Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train
— Hicksville (LIRR) to Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train
— Mineola (LIRR) to Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train
Commuters from Nassau County can also use the NICE Bus to connect to spots in Queens during peak and reverse-peak hours. Those spots include:
— the 179 St E and F train stop — n6, n6x, n22, n22x, n24, n26
— the Far Rockaway-Mott Ave. A trian stop — n31, n31x/m, n32, n33
— the Flushing-Main St. 7 train stop — n20g, n20x
— Jamaica Bus Terminal, a short walk from the 169 St F train — n1, n6, n6x, n22, n22x, n24, n26
— Jamaica Ctr-Parsons/Archer E J and Z train — n4, n4x
Commuters can get more info at the NICE Bus website.
The MTA is suggesting five subway stations as passenger drop-off points, the Far Rockaway-Mott Ave. A train stop, the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike E and F train stop, the Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd. A train stop, the Sheepshead Bay B and Q stop, and the Woodhaven Blvd. J train stop.
Shuttle buses will take commuters from Bay Shore, Hempstead Lake State Park, Hicksville and Mineola to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport A station, as well as from Huntington and Ronkonkoma to the Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer E J and Z train station.
Baseball fans from Long Island may have a rough go of getting to Citi Field for the Mets-Yankees Subway Series game Sunday. The Mets are offering additional Citi Field Direct Shuttle Service buses at the Roosevelt Field and the Walt Whitman Shops, as well as a new route, during the strike only, at the Manhasset LIRR station serving the Port Washington Line area.