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Every New Year’s Eve, locals and tourists flock to New York City to watch the ball drop at midnight, signaling the start of the New Year. For those who want to steer clear of the Times Square crowds, many restaurants, bars, and clubs throughout the city host events for guests to dress up and party the night (and year!) away. Aware of the increase in visitors, especially from neighboring cities and suburbs, public transportation works on a revised schedule in order to accommodate local travelers and increase security.
If you are planning on getting in and out of the city by train or using the Subway system to get around on New Year’s Eve, here’s what you need to know about the holiday train schedules:
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
The MTA has added 21 extra westbound Long Island Rail Road train service to accommodate those heading into New York City for New Year’s Eve celebrations. There are 7 additional PM trains on the Port Jefferson branch, 2 on the Long Beach branch, 5 on Babylon, 2 on Port Washington, 1 on Hempstead, 3 on Ronkonkoma, and 1 on Montauk/Speonk. They have also added 15 extra eastbound late night (early AM) trains for those heading back home after the ball drops, distributed across the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma, Babylon, Montauk/Speonk, Port Jefferson/Huntington, Long Beach branches. You can find a complete list of these additional train times here.
To generate a complete list of LIRR train times from your nearest station to Penn Station, click here.
As a friendly warning: if consuming alcohol is a part of your New Year’s Eve plans, the MTA warns that “in the interest of safety, alcohol will not be allowed on LIRR trains, platforms or at stations from 12 Noon on December 31, 2018 to 12 Noon on January 1, 2019. MTA Police will enforce this restriction.”
Metro-North Railroad
If you are planning to travel to New York City via the Metro-North Railroad, the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines have revised schedules to accommodate New Year’s Eve and Day travels. The MTA informs that on New Year’s Eve, they will “operate a reduced weekday schedule in the morning and evening rush hours,” which they say “includes extra inbound late afternoon and early evening service to get you to your party. And there is ‘overnight’ New Year’s morning service that will get you safely home when that party is finally over.” For the PDF files of the schedules for December 31, 2018 and January 1, 2019, click here.
Click here to generate a complete list of Metro-North train times from your nearest station to Grand Central Station.
MTA advises that “drinking alcohol on Metro-North trains and at our stations is banned from noon New Year’s Eve until noon New Year’s Day.”
Subways
According to AM New York, Subway lines that cross through midtown, where the majority of New Year’s Eve travelers are expected to be, will every 8-12 minutes until 3am to accommodate the increased demand. It should be anticipated, however, that the Times Square subway station entrance/exit is subject to closure (which impacts the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W and lines, and shuttle to and from Grand Central Station). The 8th Ave-42nd Street station (connected to the Port Authority bus terminal) will be open for those trying to get to Times Square. On Tuesday, New Year’s Day, the subways will run according to a Sunday schedule.
In terms of closures and skipped stops, AM New York says that from noon to midnight on Monday, uptown 1 trains will skip 50th street, and N, Q, R, and W trains will skip the 49th street station in either direction. For an updated list of service changes, it is recommended that you download the MTA Subway Schedule app, or consult MTA.com for subway times.