TheMTAtook its first plunge into the summer season on Thursday afternoon with the launch of its express Long Island Rail Road Hamptons service ahead of Memorial Day Weekend.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and LIRR President Rob Free announced the return of the agency’s “Cannonball” service ahead of the first such train of the season departing New York Penn Station at 4:07 p.m. on May 21.

The service resumed just in time for the unofficial start of summer, and days after the MTA and five unions representing about half of the LIRR workforceresolved a three-day strikelate Monday night.

The Cannonball brings East End beach-goers directly to the Hamptons by skipping all stops between Penn Station and West Hampton. It then makes stops at Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, and terminates in Montauk.

“Summer is finally here, and it’s time to enjoy that warm weather after that brutal winter,” Free said during a Thursday afternoon news conference. “And what better way to get to all the summer fun than taking the famous Cannonball to kick things off?”

The service will run every Thursday and Friday out of Penn Station to the Hamptons this summer, with the exception of June 18 and 19, as well as July 2 and 3. The westbound Cannonball will depart the Hamptons on Sunday evenings, excluding this weekend, when it will head back to the city on Memorial Day.

Cannonball tickets will run riders $33, according to Free.Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free (right) and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.Marc A. Hermann / MTAIt promises to get passengers from Manhattan to West Hampton in 92 minutes on Thursdays and 96 minutes on Fridays.Additionally, starting on Memorial Day, the LIRR will run its 5:13 p.m. weekday service, which normally goes to Speonk, directly to Montauk throughout the summer. For service from Montauk directly back to the city, riders can take either the 11:36 a.m. and 4:17 p.m. trains.The MTA is also boosting subway and bus service to beaches within the five boroughs this summer.From Saturday, May 23, through Labor Day Weekend, the transit agency will extend Rockaway Park Shuttle service to Rockaway Blvd — in an effort to make it easier for beachgoers to get to the Rockaway Peninsula. It will also run the D, F, N, and Q trains out of Coney Island-Stillwell Av every three minutes to help more riders get to and from Coney Island.Those wishing to reach Jacob Riis Park can hop on the Q35’s seasonal service to People’s Beach. The bus will make stops on Rockaway Beach Boulevard at the Jacob Riis bath house from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.For access to the Bronx’s Orchard Beach, riders can take the Bx12 all the way there on weekends between May 23 and the end of August.There will also be a slew of service changes across the subways, buses, LIRR, and MetroNorth over the holiday weekend, which riders can check on the MTA website,mta.info, or via its mobile app.

It promises to get passengers from Manhattan to West Hampton in 92 minutes on Thursdays and 96 minutes on Fridays.

Additionally, starting on Memorial Day, the LIRR will run its 5:13 p.m. weekday service, which normally goes to Speonk, directly to Montauk throughout the summer. For service from Montauk directly back to the city, riders can take either the 11:36 a.m. and 4:17 p.m. trains.

The MTA is also boosting subway and bus service to beaches within the five boroughs this summer.From Saturday, May 23, through Labor Day Weekend, the transit agency will extend Rockaway Park Shuttle service to Rockaway Blvd — in an effort to make it easier for beachgoers to get to the Rockaway Peninsula. It will also run the D, F, N, and Q trains out of Coney Island-Stillwell Av every three minutes to help more riders get to and from Coney Island.Those wishing to reach Jacob Riis Park can hop on the Q35’s seasonal service to People’s Beach. The bus will make stops on Rockaway Beach Boulevard at the Jacob Riis bath house from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.For access to the Bronx’s Orchard Beach, riders can take the Bx12 all the way there on weekends between May 23 and the end of August.There will also be a slew of service changes across the subways, buses, LIRR, and MetroNorth over the holiday weekend, which riders can check on the MTA website,mta.info, or via its mobile app.

Source: LI Press