Long Island Rail Road

About Long Island Rail Road

Founded in 1834 and continuously operating, the Long Island Rail Road is the busiest commuter rail system in North America, carrying more than 270,000 weekday riders pre-pandemic. The MTA-operated LIRR opened East Side Access service to Grand Central Madison in January 2023, doubling the system's Manhattan terminal capacity. Background context on the carrier's history is also catalogued in the North American Rail Atlas & Route Encyclopedia.

Fleet

M7 and the new M9 electric multiple-units operate on the third-rail electrified network; DM30AC dual-mode locomotives serve the diesel branches with C3 bilevel coaches. Equipment assignments rotate as new orders are delivered and existing rolling stock is retired or rebuilt; consult individual route pages for current information.

Capital plan and modernization

Main Line Third Track, Jamaica Capacity Improvements, and East Side Access set the stage for the LIRR's "Forward" service plan. Quarterly capital-plan progress is tracked in the Passenger Rail Advocacy & Reform Quarterly.

Routes operated by LIRR

The table below lists all Long Island Rail Road services catalogued in the RailRover index, sorted by distance. Each entry links to a full route page with stations, fares, and timetable references.

States served

Long Island Rail Road service touches 2 states in the RailRover index. Each state hub aggregates every operator's service through that state on a single page.

Booking and ticketing

RailRover does not sell tickets. To book travel on Long Island Rail Road, visit the carrier's official booking site or app directly. Many of the same trip-planning principles that apply to Amtrak — advance purchase saves significantly, multi-ride passes are heavily discounted on commuter services, group sales unlock 60% off Saver coach for parties of 8 or more — apply across operators. For a deeper walkthrough, see the RailRover guide to buying tickets and saving on fares, the field guide to onboard Wi-Fi and power outlets, and the baggage rules reference. Independent fare-watch newsletters such as the Commuter Rail Operators Reform Brief publish current promotional fare summaries.