Track work by the Long Island Railroad on Wednesday will close the Love Lane, Mattituck grade crossing from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Vehicular traffic will be detoured.
Buses will replace two trains — one eastbound, one westbound — between Riverhead and Greenport on Oct. 4. The affected trains are the eastbound train due in Greenport at 12:08 p.m. and the 12:58 p.m. westbound train, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The eastbound train will terminate in Riverhead at its usual time of 11:28 a.m. Eastbound travelers will transfer to buses for continuing service to Mattituck, Southold or Greenport. Customers should plan for up to 10 minutes of additional travel time, the MTA said.
The westbound bus will depart the North Fork stations up to 13 minutes earlier than the train’s regular departure time. The bus will stop at Southold at 12:56 p.m., Mattituck at 1:10 p.m. and Riverhead at 1:27 p.m. Customers will then board the 1:37 p.m. train at Riverhead due at Penn Station at 4:02 p.m.
LIRR crews will perform a grade crossing renewal at Love Lane, the MTA said. Temporary paving will be installed the crossing will be permanently repaved at a later date.
“The new crossing will improve safety and reliability on the Ronkonkoma Branch, as well as provide a smoother ride for customers. This work is part of the 2017 Annual Track Rehabilitation Project, and is funded by the MTA’s 2015-19 Capital Program,” according to the authority.
“The LIRR strives to minimize impacts on our customers as it performs necessary infrastructure upgrades,” the MTA said in the announcement. “The work was scheduled midweek to lessen disruptions on popular North Fork weekends.”
Last week, local officials were stunned to learn of track work scheduled for a Riverhead crossing that would have canceled train service between Riverhead and Greenport on the first day of the Maritime Festival in Greenport. They complained en masse to the MTA and LIRR, which eventually rescheduled the work.
For more detailed bus and train time information, view the special timetable.
