October 24–25, 2026, brings 3 LIRR planned-work and planned-service notices, according to the MTA LIRR service alerts feed as of 9:00 a.m. on October 22. The largest change is a full stop to West Hempstead Branch trains. The MTA also lists eastbound trains skipping Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, and revised schedules on the Babylon and Montauk branches.
On the roads, 511NY records stored by Long Island Traffic show 0 scheduled road work and closure notices in effect at any point between 12:00 a.m. Saturday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The UBS Arena calendar lists KATSEYE: THE WILDWORLD TOUR at 8:00 p.m. both nights at 2400 Hempstead Turnpike.
LIRR planned work in effect October 24–25, 2026 (MTA wording; start and end times are the MTA’s scheduled active periods that touch this weekend, Eastern time)
| Branch or area (MTA route) | What changes | In effect (ET) | MTA category | Reason MTA gives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon Branch, Montauk Branch | Babylon and Montauk branches run on revised schedules | Fri 10/23 9:00 p.m. to Mon 10/26 3:00 a.m. | Special Schedule | Track maintenance |
| City Terminal Zone | No eastbound service at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens; eastbound trains towards Jamaica bypass Woodside | Fri 10/23 10:00 p.m. to Mon 10/26 4:00 a.m. | Planned - Stops Skipped | Accessibility improvements |
| West Hempstead Branch | No West Hempstead Branch trains running | Sat 10/24 12:01 a.m. to Mon 10/26 4:00 a.m. | Planned - Suspended | Track maintenance |
No West Hempstead Branch trains from 12:01 a.m. Saturday
No West Hempstead Branch trains run from 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 24, to 4:00 a.m. Monday, October 26, according to the MTA LIRR service alerts feed. The MTA classifies it as “Planned - Suspended” and gives track maintenance as the reason. It is the 1 weekend notice the MTA classifies as a suspension or part suspension, according to the same feed.
The MTA says bus service is available between Valley Stream and all stations Westwood through West Hempstead. For St. Albans, the MTA says riders should take Babylon Branch trains, which are making added stops.
The MTA’s published schedule (feed GO202_26) still lists the usual number of West Hempstead Branch trips this weekend, although the MTA alert says service is suspended. Long Island Traffic’s method notes that riders should go by the alert.
MTA LIRR alert feed records stored by Long Island Traffic show 5 earlier weekends with a planned-work notice on the West Hempstead Branch since March 25, 2026.
Eastbound trains skip Forest Hills and Kew Gardens
The MTA LIRR service alerts feed lists no eastbound service at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens from 10:00 p.m. Friday, October 23, to 4:00 a.m. Monday, October 26. Eastbound trains toward Jamaica also bypass Woodside. The MTA files the change under the City Terminal Zone and cites accessibility improvements.
According to the MTA, trains run nonstop from Manhattan to Jamaica. Port Washington Branch trains continue to stop at Woodside in both directions. The MTA says the subway will allow LIRR riders to enter these stations at no cost: 34 St-Penn Station [E], 42 St-Grand Central [6][7], Woodside-61 St [7], Forest Hills-71 Av [E] and Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike [E].
The MTA’s schedule text for this notice also lists Oct 30 - Nov 2, Fri 10:00 PM to Mon 4:00 AM.
A separate change at Forest Hills runs until Summer 2027, according to the MTA feed. Riders must be in the first four cars of eastbound trains and the first six cars of westbound trains to exit there.
Longer-running LIRR changes also in effect this weekend
| Branch or area (MTA route) | What changes | When (MTA) | MTA category | Reason MTA gives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon Branch | The elevator at Rockville Centre is out of service | Until Monday, November 2 | Station Notice | Not stated |
| City Terminal Zone | You must be in the first four cars for eastbound trains and the first six cars for westbound trains to exit at Forest Hills | Until Summer 2027 | Boarding Change | Accessibility improvements |
Port Washington Branch schedule lists 81 trips each day
The MTA’s published LIRR schedule lists 81 Port Washington Branch trips on Saturday, October 24, compared with 120 on a typical Saturday, according to Long Island Traffic’s count of feed GO202_26. On Sunday, October 25, the schedule lists 81 trips against a typical 121.5.
According to the same count, 4 branches or areas have a scheduled trip count this weekend that differs from the typical weekend. The typical figure is the median of the 2 other Saturdays or Sundays in the schedule file.
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)
| Branch or area | Saturday October 24 trips | Typical Saturday | Sunday October 25 trips | Typical Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon Branch | 118 | 119 | 118 | 119.5 |
| Hempstead Branch | 45 | 44.5 | 45 | 44.5 |
| Ronkonkoma Branch | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82.5 |
| Port Washington Branch | 81 | 120 | 81 | 121.5 |
Babylon and Montauk branches run on revised schedules
Babylon and Montauk branches run on revised schedules from 9:00 p.m. Friday, October 23, to 3:00 a.m. Monday, October 26, according to the MTA LIRR service alerts feed. The MTA lists the notice as a “Special Schedule” and gives track maintenance as the reason. Check Babylon Branch live status and Montauk Branch live status for current conditions.
The MTA’s published schedule lists 118 Babylon Branch trips on Saturday, against a typical 119, and 118 on Sunday, against a typical 119.5, according to Long Island Traffic’s count.
On the Babylon Branch, the elevator at Rockville Centre is out of service until Monday, November 2, according to the MTA feed.
MTA LIRR alert feed records stored by Long Island Traffic show 16 earlier weekends with planned work on the Babylon Branch and 10 on the Montauk Branch since March 25, 2026.
KATSEYE plays UBS Arena at 8:00 p.m. both nights
The UBS Arena calendar lists KATSEYE: THE WILDWORLD TOUR at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, October 24, and 8:00 p.m. Sunday, October 25. 511NY posted a special-event traffic notice from 8:00 p.m. Saturday. According to Long Island Traffic’s 511NY records, 511NY listed no notice for the Sunday show.
The MTA’s published schedule lists 10 trains toward Hempstead, Huntington and Ronkonkoma and 10 trains toward Grand Central and Penn Station stopping at Elmont-UBS Arena in the two hours before each show’s start, according to Long Island Traffic’s count. All day, the schedule lists 74 trains toward Hempstead, Huntington and Ronkonkoma and 85 toward Grand Central and Penn Station on each event day.
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)
| Event | Trains toward Hempstead, Huntington, Ronkonkoma in the two hours before start | Trains toward Grand Central, Penn Station in the two hours before start | Trains toward Hempstead, Huntington, Ronkonkoma all day | Trains toward Grand Central, Penn Station all day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KATSEYE: THE WILDWORLD TOUR, October 24 | 10 | 10 | 74 | 85 |
| KATSEYE: THE WILDWORLD TOUR, October 25 | 10 | 10 | 74 | 85 |
No scheduled road work in 511NY, but 4 work zones have no posted end
511NY records stored by Long Island Traffic, as of 11:00 a.m. Thursday, October 22, show 0 scheduled road work and closure notices for the weekend. The same records list 4 long-running work zones that had been in place at least 7 days with no schedule or end time posted.
According to 511NY, they include roadwork on the westbound 908E (Meadowbrook St Parkway) between Exit M9E and 909D in Nassau, listed since Wed 9/16 2:49 a.m. See Meadowbrook State Parkway live conditions. 511NY also lists roadwork on 908C (Loop Parkway) in both directions, on NY 347 westbound between NY 112 and NY 25 in Suffolk, and on NY 27A (Merrick Rd) eastbound between NY 110 and NY 109 in Suffolk.
Long-running work zones with no posted end, per 511NY (active in 511NY at Thu 10/22 11:00 a.m.; 511NY posts no schedule or end time for these, so they may change or clear before or during the weekend)
| Road and direction (511NY) | County | Where (511NY) | What 511NY lists | 511NY start time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY 347 westbound | Suffolk | Between NY 112 and NY 25 | Roadwork | Thu 12/11 5:28 p.m. |
| 908E (Meadowbrook St Parkway) westbound | Nassau | Between Exit M9E and 909D | Roadwork | Wed 9/16 2:49 a.m. |
| 908C (Loop Parkway) in both directions | Nassau | Between the start of 908C (Loop Parkway) and the end of 908C (Loop Parkway) | Roadwork | Wed 9/16 2:56 a.m. |
| NY 27A (Merrick Rd) eastbound | Suffolk | Between NY 110 and NY 109 | Roadwork | Thu 9/24 3:28 p.m. |
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 10/22 11:00 a.m.). A road notice is listed when its posted 511NY schedule has an occurrence between 12:00 a.m. Saturday October 24 and 11:59 p.m. Sunday October 25. 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 9:00 a.m. on October 22 (Eastern time) and kept every planned-work notice scheduled to be in effect at any time between 12:00 a.m. Saturday October 24 and 11:59 p.m. Sunday October 25. 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 21 to November 8, 2026) and counted trips per route on Saturday October 24 and Sunday October 25, against the median of the other 2 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 and other New York City road notices are left out unless 511NY lists a full closure of Long Island-bound (eastbound) travel.
- 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 9:00 a.m. on October 22 (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.