Long Island Rail Road South Fork Fixes Include Direct to Montauk Train
While one can yo-yo from Manhattan to the the south shore of Long Island the trip to the East End vacation paradise has been slower than it should be. Now, the MTA has some changes that will fix the travel lags including the LIRR’s first year-round-direct-to-Montauk run.
| 28 Aug 2026 | 12:33
Long Island Rail Road South Fork fixes will include a daily through train from Penn Station to Montauk, eliminating any changes along the way. (
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Long Island Railroad Station South Fork fixes will improve service to Montauk. Starting in September, there will be direct service all year long. (
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The historic old LIRR station at Montauk has been converted into an art gallery. (
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Don’t get salty, riders, it’s all about supply and demand! That’s the present reality of train travel from Hampton Bays to Montauk and points in-between, for as these locales have become more popular with the Manhattan summer set, Long Island Rail Road service on the South Fork line has suffered from overcrowding and delays. Limited track capacity, mechanical issues and longer stops to load and unload passengers have conspired to create a less-than-idyllic journey along the 27 mile single track South Fork line.
One of the changes will be the first year round direct to Montauk train eliminating the need to change at a station along the way. In the past, a train with no changes only ran in the peak summer months and it was usually jammed to c
In short, too many people need summer seats heading out East on Thursdays and Friday, and coming back Sunday through Tuesday. This year, the South Fork Line has recorded almost a seven percent ridership increase, with ridership to swanky Southampton soaring 46 percent while the Hampton Bays stop saw a 23 percent surge compared to 2025 passenger numbers.
To ease the pressure on those headed, as Jerry Reed sang, “Eastbound and Down,” on August 25, Governor Kathy Hochul announced three key service and infrastructure improvements for the Long Island Rail Road’s Montauk Branch, which are scheduled to be finished in time for South Fork forays in the summer of 2029.
The first improvement is a doozy: starting next month, the 5:13 p.m. train out of Penn Station going all the way to Montauk, which has previously been discontinued after Labor Day, will run year round. This means no transfers to the end of the line, even in the cold of January. Normal non-summer service out of Penn Station usually meant changing somewhere along the route.
A normal Penn Station to Montauk ride takes more than three hours over its 118 mile run. The Summer only, Friday limited-stop Cannonball train takes two hours and 49 minutes.
The second and third improvements involve physical changes to the line and will take more time. While relatively minor, they promise to enable more trains to carry the increased loads that the line is seeing.
The first phase will extend the track siding at the Amagansett station, extending the train car siding there by 1200 feet, breaking the current 27 miles of single track between Southampton and Montauk into two sections of 11 miles and 16 miles. This gives a slot for another train to be able to pass a train in the opposite direction, instead of having to wait further west.
The second phase will include the construction of another platform at the Hampton Bays station, where a temporary second platform was installed for the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills to accommodate the golf crowd. Now that temporary platform at Hampton Bays station is to be made permanent.
The addition of this new eastbound side platform will allow passengers to board and exit trains in both directions which will increase reliability and accessibility for passengers. The station will also undergo track and signal improvements, allowing the track siding to accommodate trains with two more cars over the normal six cars, giving the LIRR more operational flexibility.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber noted, “Demand for service to the East End keeps growing and the LIRR is meeting the moment. First, we’re adding new permanent daily service to Montauk, next we’re bringing these over 100-year-old stations into the 21st century and making it possible to increase service.”
The improvement projects at the Amagansett and Hampton Bays stations are estimated to cost a combined $78 million out of the 2025-29 MTA’s Capital Plan. Scheduled to begin the first quarter of 2028, the project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2029.
“With a new year-round weekday one seat ride to Montauk from Penn Station,” declared LIRR President Rob Free, “we’re delivering the kind of convenient, predictable service our customers deserve, while supporting the tourism and local industries that power the East End.”