Thanksgiving is around the corner, and with it comes a slew of changes to NYC transit services for commuters getting ready for the long weekend. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know before you hit the road!
Subways and Buses
On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28, all MTA New York City Transit subways and buses will be running on a Sunday schedule. Keep in mind that there will be extra service on the 1 train and 42nd Street Shuttle in the early morning.
If you’re planning to catch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, be aware that some station entrances and exits along the parade route will be closed. This includes certain entrances at 59 Street-Columbus Circle, select entrances and exits at Penn Station, and others along Sixth Avenue. Bus service in Manhattan might also face delays due to reroutes, detours, or frozen zones, especially near the parade route in Midtown.
Additionally, the 79th Street Transverse Road will be closed from noon on Wednesday, Nov. 27, to noon on Thursday, Nov. 28 for the parade and balloon inflations on Central Park West. Buses will not be allowed to cross during this time.
On Thursday, the A, C, and D trains will not be stopping at 81 Street-Museum of Natural History from 4 to 11 a.m. Staten Island express buses will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day, while subways will return to their regular weekday schedule on Friday, Nov. 29, with buses running on a reduced schedule.
Staten Island Railway
The Staten Island Railway will be running on a Saturday schedule on Thanksgiving Day and will resume its regular weekday schedule on Friday.
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
LIRR will be operating on a holiday-weekend schedule with extra service before and after the parade on Thanksgiving Day. Expect 15 additional trains to accommodate customers traveling to and from the parade. The Babylon and Ronkonkoma/Farmingdale branches will have seven extra trains each, and one train will be added to the Huntington branch. Regular weekday schedule will resume on Friday, Nov. 29, with lower off-peak fares all day.
Metro-North Rail Road
Metro-North will have a special schedule with extra service before and after the parade on Thanksgiving Day. On Friday, an enhanced Saturday schedule will be in place with additional inbound service in the morning and outbound service in the afternoon to cater to commuters and Black Friday shoppers. Off-peak fares will be in effect all day.
Amtrak
For those traveling out of town or coming into NYC, Amtrak is increasing car capacity and trip frequencies on its Northeast Regional trains through Dec. 2. Popular destinations along the Northeast Corridor like Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston will benefit from these added services.
Weekend Expectations
On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, all subways, buses, the LIRR, and the Staten Island Railway will resume their regular weekend schedules. Metro-North will also run extra “Shopper Specials” on the New Haven Line to and from Manhattan to accommodate shoppers and sightseers.
For more details on Thanksgiving holiday travel, check out mta.info.
