Beaches Abound … From the Shore to the Sound
If you haven't taken advantage of Long Island's beaches … maybe this will be the year. We've got over 100 miles of glorious shores … big beaches, great sand, pristine water. And, you don't have to take our word for it, because in the 20th Annual Top Ten Beaches ranking, Doctor Beach (Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, Director of Florida International University"s Laboratory of Coastal Research) recognized them for the national treasures that they are. And this year, for the first time, one of our beaches has been designated as The Best Beach in the United States (that includes Hawaii folks!). Cooper's Beach in Southampton (the LIRR goes to Southampton!) was awarded with the first-ever #1 for Long Island … and another of Long Island's beaches, Main Beach in East Hampton, was also in the Top-5. 
The truth is, all of our beaches are worthy of recognition. From Long Beach to Jones Beach to Fire Island's beaches and the Hamptons … we are truly fortunate. So … why don't you consider taking advantage of the LIRR's season of summer discounted beach packages? Go to our to learn all about the packages we're offering, including LIRR fares and beach admission fees. From Long Beach to Robert Moses, Jones Beach and everything on Fire Island, our beaches are as beautiful and as diverse as our customers. Just choose the beach that's best for you … and we'll get you there.

 

July 4th Weekend Service
This year the Railroad will be providing extra getaway service on the afternoon of Friday, July 2 to help our customers get started on their Independence Day holiday. The added getaway service will consist of eight extra holiday eve trains, including three trains on the Babylon Branch (2:23 PM, 2:48 PM and 3:31 PM); three trains on the Port Jefferson Branch (2:03 PM, 2:31 PM and 3:24 PM); one train on the Port Washington Branch (3:40 PM); and one train on the Far Rockaway Branch (3:48 PM). The Independence Day holiday will be observed on Monday, July 5, and we will operate on a Weekend/Holiday schedule that day. Please check your schedule for additional details.

 

Getaways Galore
Let the fun begin … the LIRR's Summer Getaways are now available. Some are new … others tried and true. Just go to our website for the complete details of each of our approximately 40 deals. Here are a few highlights:
SplishSplash, one of your perennial favorites, and New York's largest family water park, has been ranked as one of America's Top Five water parks by the Travel Channel. With 19 water slides, a wave pool, and kiddie areas … you and yours won't float out of things to do. Our package ($60 for adults and $46 for kids ages 4 to 11) includes discounted round-trip rail to and from Ronkonkoma Station, a connecting shuttle bus and admission. Splish Splash is open daily from June 19 through September 6 … so … get ready, get set … and get wet!
The Strawberry Festival is a juicy option … just take the train to Mattituck on Saturday, June 19 and start sampling!
What's your favorite? Chocolate covered? Shortcake? Pie? They'll all be available at this old-fashioned country fair in a rural Long Island setting. Carnival rides, games of chance, music … and some strawberry goodies on us for those who join our escorted tour.
New Getaways For 2010 include:
The LI Wine and Spirits tour – offering four different trips with different varieties of wine. Each one on a different day … go ahead, try them all!
The North Fork Villages package – visit the beautiful, New England-style villages of Riverhead, Mattituck, Southold and Greenport for a relaxed, scenic escape.
The Bethpage Golf & Tennis – is a $20 package that includes a discounted round-trip train and taxi ride from Farmingdale Station to Bethpage State Park, plus a discount on the lunch and/or dinner menu in the Oak Room at the Clubhouse.
Patchogue Village – this package includes round-trip rail to Patchogue plus a special 'discount' coupon. Special music and arts festivals will be underway during July. Please go to the website for all the details.

 

Need Info?
Our Travel Information Center (TIC) can help. It serves customers with a 24-hour a day automated schedule/fare information system, as well as customer service specialists who are ready to assist you from 6 AM until 10 PM. The phone numbers for TIC are: 718-217-LIRR; 516-822-LIRR; and 631-231-LIRR. Our schedules are available on our website.

 

Please, Step OVER the Gap
Are you between the ages of 40 and 60 … with a commute that takes you through Penn Station? If your answer is yes, then you should add an ounce of prevention when stepping over the gap between the platform and the train, as statistically your group leads the way in gap incidents. When boarding and exiting your train, please tune out the electronic distractions and tune in to safety. Please stop texting, put away the cell phone and the iPod. Instead, take just a moment to concentrate on your own well-being and carefully step OVER the gap between the train and the platform. The vast majority of our customers board and exit their trains safely every day. But gap accidents can occur, even when the most-seasoned commuters get distracted or forget to pay attention at this key time. Don't take gap safety for granted. Always step OVER the gap. Your safety is important to us.

 

May On Time Performance
May's OTP was 93.52%.

BRANCH	AM Peak	PM Peak	Off- Peak	Total May 2010	Total May 2009
Babylon	88.0	93.5	93.2	92.3	96.7
Far Rockaway	92.7	98.9	98.6	97.9	98.7
Hicksville/Huntington	90.3	90.4	94.3	93.3	95.7
Hempstead	93.5	93.3	97.0	96.2	97.6
Long Beach	91.3	96.7	97.6	96.6	97.8
Montauk	93.8	88.6	90.8	90.9	93.3
Oyster Bay	95.7	89.2	97.3	96.0	96.5
Port Jefferson	87.5	84.3	93.0	91.1	95.5
Port Washington	90.0	87.0	92.8	91.7	98.2
Greenport/Ronkonkoma	90.6	90.7	91.0	90.9	94.2
West Hempstead	92.0	94.2	97.4	96.2	98.1
TOTAL	90.6	91.6	94.4	93.5	96.6

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