West Hempstead Branch suspended and LIE work among key changes for Long Island, Oct. 10–11

October 10–11, 2026 brings a full West Hempstead Branch suspension, revised schedules on the Babylon and Montauk branches, a New York Islanders game at UBS Arena, and 23 road-work notices across Long Island and Queens-side LIE corridors, according to the MTA LIRR service alerts feed and 511NY traffic events as recorded by Long Island Traffic.

The MTA feed snapshot was taken at 10:53 a.m. on October 8; the 511NY snapshot was recorded at Thu 10/8 10:01 a.m. Riders and drivers should check for updates, as both sources can change at any time.

West Hempstead Branch fully suspended through early Monday

No West Hempstead Branch trains are running from Sat 10/10 12:01 a.m. to Mon 10/12 4:00 a.m., according to the MTA LIRR service alerts feed. The MTA attributes the suspension to signal upgrades.

The MTA’s guidance states that bus service is available between Valley Stream and all stations Westwood through West Hempstead. MTA buses are accepting LIRR tickets on the Q4 route between Jamaica Center and St. Albans, and on the Q6 between Jamaica LIRR and Jamaica Center. In addition, NICE bus will cross-honor LIRR tickets on the N4 route, per the MTA LIRR service alerts feed.

The MTA LIRR alert feed as recorded by Long Island Traffic shows the West Hempstead Branch appeared in planned-work notices on 3 earlier weekends since March 25, 2026.

Babylon and Montauk branches on revised schedules

The MTA LIRR service alerts feed lists revised schedules for the Babylon and Montauk branches from Fri 10/9 9:00 p.m. to Mon 10/12 3:00 a.m., also citing signal upgrades.

The MTA’s published schedule (GTFS static, feed GO202_26) as counted by Long Island Traffic shows the Babylon Branch scheduled for 118 trips on Saturday October 10 and 118 trips on Sunday October 11, against a typical Saturday of 118.5 and a typical Sunday of 118.5. The Montauk Branch is scheduled for 44 trips Saturday and 45 trips Sunday, against a typical Saturday of 44 and a typical Sunday of 43.

Riders can follow Babylon Branch live status and Montauk Branch live status for the latest. The MTA LIRR alert feed as recorded by Long Island Traffic shows the Babylon Branch had planned-work notices on 14 earlier weekends since March 25, 2026, and the Montauk Branch on 8.

Scheduled trains this weekend vs a typical weekend in the MTA’s published schedule (only where they differ) (typical = median of the other Saturdays or Sundays in the same schedule file; counted by Long Island Traffic)

Islanders game at UBS Arena triggers added Forest Hills stops

The UBS Arena calendar and 511NY list a New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game at UBS Arena, 2400 Hempstead Turnpike, on Saturday, October 10, with a start time of 7:30 p.m. The 511NY special-event traffic notice window runs Sat 10/10 7:30 a.m. to Sat 10/10 10:00 p.m., per 511NY traffic events as recorded by Long Island Traffic.

For the City Terminal Zone, the MTA LIRR service alerts feed notes that some trains make added stops at Forest Hills for concert attendees on Sat 10/10 5:00 p.m. to Sat 10/10 11:59 p.m. The MTA’s guidance specifies that riders must be in one of the first four cars on eastbound trains, and one of the first six cars on westbound trains, to exit at Forest Hills, and that tickets must be carried off the train and will be checked at the station before exit.

A separate longer-running MTA boarding change, also in effect this weekend and listed as active until Summer 2027, requires riders to be in the first four cars for eastbound trains and the first six cars for westbound trains to exit at Forest Hills, according to the MTA LIRR service alerts feed.

The MTA’s published LIRR schedule as counted by Long Island Traffic shows 10 trains toward Hempstead, Huntington, and Ronkonkoma and 10 trains toward Grand Central and Penn Station stopping at Elmont-UBS Arena station in the two hours before the 7:30 p.m. start time.

LIRR trains scheduled to stop at Elmont-UBS Arena station on UBS Arena event days (MTA published schedule (GTFS); counted by Long Island Traffic; “before start” = the two hours before the start time UBS Arena lists)

Events that 511NY or UBS Arena list for October 10–11, 2026 (start time as the venue lists it; the 511NY window is the special-event traffic notice as 511NY posted it; Eastern time)

23 road-work notices span the weekend, including 6 full closures

511NY traffic events as recorded by Long Island Traffic show 23 scheduled road-work and closure notices in effect at some point between 12:00 a.m. Saturday October 10 and 11:59 p.m. Sunday October 11. Of those, 6 are described by 511NY as a full road or ramp closure. By county, Nassau accounts for 5 notices, Suffolk for 4, and Queens for 14.

Among the full closures, the I-495 (Long Island Expressway) westbound between NY 25 and Exit 38 in Nassau is listed as all lanes closed from Fri 10/9 10:00 p.m. to Sat 10/10 5:00 a.m. for road maintenance activities. The 908M (Southern State Parkway) eastbound between 908K and Exit 42S in Suffolk is listed as all lanes closed for nighttime roadwork from Fri 10/9 10:00 p.m. to Sat 10/10 6:00 a.m. The ramp from I-495 eastbound to Exit 27 – Clearview Expwy I-295 / Throgs Neck Bridge in Queens is listed as closed Fri 10/9 10:00 p.m. to Sat 10/10 3:00 p.m. and again Sat 10/10 10:00 p.m. to Sun 10/11 9:00 a.m.

The I-495 eastbound between Exit 17W and NY 25 in Queens is listed as all lanes closed from Fri 10/9 11:00 p.m. to Sat 10/10 6:00 a.m. for roadwork, and the entrance ramp at 71st Street on I-495 eastbound in Queens is listed as closed during the same window. NY 27 westbound between the start of NY 27 and NY 114 in Suffolk is listed as all lanes closed from Fri 10/9 10:00 p.m. to Sat 10/10 5:00 a.m. for bridge maintenance work.

See the full list of scheduled notices below, and check Long Island Expressway live conditions, Southern State Parkway live conditions, and Meadowbrook State Parkway live conditions for current status.

Scheduled road work and closures in effect October 10–11, 2026, per 511NY (511NY wording; “In effect” lists each scheduled occurrence that touches Saturday or Sunday, Eastern time; 511NY data as of Thu 10/8 10:01 a.m.)

Four long-running work zones carry no posted end

511NY traffic events as recorded by Long Island Traffic list 4 work zones that were active at Thu 10/8 10:01 a.m., had been in place at least 7 days, and carry no posted schedule or end time. They include a right-lane closure on NY 347 westbound between NY 112 and NY 25 in Suffolk (first seen in 511NY at Thu 12/11 5:28 p.m.), a right-lane closure on 908E (Meadowbrook St Parkway) westbound between Exit M9E and 909D in Nassau (Wed 9/16 2:49 a.m.), a left-lane closure on 908C (Loop Parkway) in both directions along its full length in Nassau (Wed 9/16 2:56 a.m.), and a right-lane closure on NY 27A (Merrick Rd) eastbound between NY 110 and NY 109 in Suffolk (Thu 9/24 3:28 p.m.).

Long-running work zones with no posted end, per 511NY (active in 511NY at Thu 10/8 10:01 a.m.; 511NY posts no schedule or end time for these, so they may change or clear before or during the weekend)

How we measured this

• Roads: Long Island Traffic records the 511NY traffic feed (New York State DOT) about once an hour. This outlook uses only the notices present in the latest recording (Thu 10/8 10:01 a.m.). A road notice is listed when its posted 511NY schedule has an occurrence between 12:00 a.m. Saturday October 10 and 11:59 p.m. Sunday October 11. Road names, locations, lane wording and schedules are 511NY’s.
• Reading 511NY schedules: each “From [start] to [end] [dates] on [days]” line is one occurrence per listed day, starting that day; when the end time is earlier than the start time, the occurrence runs past midnight into the next morning. A Friday-night occurrence that runs past midnight therefore appears as in effect early Saturday.
• Events: UBS Arena events come from the arena’s own event calendar; events at UBS Arena and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum also come from 511NY special-event traffic notices. A calendar event and a 511NY notice for the same venue and date are shown as one row. Event names are as the venue or 511NY lists them.
• Elmont-UBS Arena trains: Long Island Traffic counted the trips in the MTA’s published LIRR schedule that stop at Elmont-UBS Arena on each UBS Arena event day, by the MTA’s train destination, in total and in the two hours before the start time UBS Arena lists.
• LIRR planned work: Long Island Traffic read the MTA’s live LIRR alert feed as of 10:53 a.m. on October 8 (Eastern time) and kept every planned-work notice scheduled to be in effect at any time between 12:00 a.m. Saturday October 10 and 11:59 p.m. Sunday October 11. What changes, when and why are the MTA’s words.
• LIRR branch or area is the MTA route named in each notice, using the MTA’s own route names (including “City Terminal Zone” and “Greenport Service”).
• Scheduled trips: Long Island Traffic downloaded the MTA’s published LIRR schedule (GTFS feed GO202_26, service dates October 8 to November 8, 2026) and counted trips per route on Saturday October 10 and Sunday October 11, against the median of the other 4 Saturdays and Sundays in the same file.
• History: Long Island Traffic has stored every LIRR alert in the MTA feed since March 25, 2026. A weekend counts for a branch when a stored planned-work notice for that branch was scheduled to be in effect on that Saturday or Sunday; extra-service notices and changes lasting more than 14 days at a stretch are not counted.

Limitations

• Only road work posted in 511NY is listed; work announced elsewhere, or added to 511NY after the snapshot time, is not included. 511NY can also remove or change a notice at any time.
• Queens rows appear only on Long Island corridors such as the Long Island Expressway (the rule Long Island Traffic uses when recording 511NY).
• A 511NY special-event notice window is the period 511NY posted for the notice; it can start earlier or end later than the event and may differ from the start time the venue lists. Both are shown as published.
• Elmont-UBS Arena train counts come from the published schedule; extra event trains or skipped stops announced in MTA alerts may not be reflected in it.
• The MTA adds, changes and cancels planned work up to the last minute; the LIRR list reflects the feed as of 10:53 a.m. on October 8 (Eastern time).
• The published schedule file does not reflect every planned change: it lists the usual number of trips this weekend for West Hempstead Branch, although the MTA alert says service there is suspended. Riders should go by the alert.
• The history uses the first version of each notice Long Island Traffic stored; a notice the MTA later changed or withdrew still counts.

Sources

• 511NY traffic events (New York State DOT), as recorded by Long Island Traffic
• UBS Arena event calendar
• MTA LIRR service alerts feed (GTFS-realtime), live snapshot
• MTA LIRR published schedule (GTFS static, feed GO202_26)
• MTA LIRR alert feed as recorded by Long Island Traffic