Your guide to Labor Day weekend travel in and around NYC
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The unofficial end of summer is here and many New Yorkers will celebrate the long Labor Day weekend by getting out of town for a quick getaway. To make things a little easier, the MTA will provide extra service on the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and to Staten Island on Friday, August 30 in addition to suspending all lane closures at its bridges and tunnels throughout the entire weekend. If you’re planning an escape, note the following service changes before you go.
Friday, August 30:
The Long Island Rail Road will offer eight extra afternoon trains from Penn Station between 2 and 4 p.m.
Metro-North Railroad will offer 17 extra afternoon trains departing Grand Central Terminal between 1 and 4 p.m., and two extra departures from Hoboken Terminal, on the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line. But, heads up, that means some early-evening peak trains will be canceled or combined to make room for the earlier trains and in anticipation of less riders later in the day.
For those heading to Staten Island, there will be extra afternoon service on the SIM1C, SIM3C, SIM33C and SIM4C bus routes. In addition, the Staten Island Railway will add extra trains in the afternoon beginning at 2:30 p.m. from the St. George Ferry Terminal. There will be one express train and one local train awaiting every boat until 7:50 p.m.
The LaGuardia Link Q70 SBS will be free of charge throughout the weekend.
Labor Day:
The New York City Subway, buses, Metro-North Railroad and Staten Island Railway will operate on a Sunday schedule while the LIRR and Metro-North’s Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line will run on holiday schedules. There will be an extra Metro-North train departing Port Jervis at 4:09 p.m. to accommodate the crowds heading back to Manhattan.
If you’re planning on attending the J’Ouvert Parade in Brooklyn on Monday morning, take a Manhattan-bound 2 train to President Street and transfer to a Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College-bound 2 train for alternative access to Sterling Street, because the Manhattan-bound platform at Sterling will be closed for rehabilitation work.
Some subway entrances along the West Indian-American Day Parade route in Brooklyn will be affected by the event. The Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum 2, 3, and 4 station will be closed and bypassed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., but you can use the nearby Grand Army Plaza or Franklin Avenue stations instead. Watch out at the Crown Heights-Utica Avenue 3, 4 station where some staircases will be designated entrance/exit only. 4 trains will make all local stops in Brooklyn throughout the day. If you take the bus, expect significant delays and possible detours on the following routes: B12, B14, B17, B41, B43, B44, B44 SBS, B46, B46 SBS, B48, B49, B67, and B69.
Get the most up-to-date status changes via the MYmta app or by visiting MTA.info.
