LIRR Cannonball—Direct from Penn to Hamptons

Going to the Hamptons just got a whole lot easier this summer. For those weekend warriors who are smart enough to avoid five hours of eastbound traffic on Fridays, Long Island Railroad is now offering an express “Cannonball” train from Penn Station to the Hamptons with no stops in between.

Though LIRR has had a direct Hamptons line for years, this is the first time it will leave from Manhattan instead of Queens. Beginning Memorial Day weekend, the Cannonball will run on Friday afternoons from Penn and continue nonstop to the East End for 94 minutes until reaching Westhampton Beach. From there, the train will make stops at various Hamptons stations before the ride concludes in Montauk.

This is an obvious and good sense move for LIRR considering most Hamptons visitors live in Manhattan, not Hunterspoint Avenue or Jamaica in Queens, where the Cannonball used to begin. The train is 14 cars long and has transported some 1,400 riders to the Hamptons each Friday, though that number is expected to rise a bit when it attracts new riders this summer.

A one-way ticket on the new Cannonball line will cost $27 for most passengers, and $47 for those interested in riding in a dining car where wait service will offer food and drinks. Riders can also expect fewer delays out of Penn Station, which is larger than the Queens stations and better equipped to handle a large volume of people.