New Non-Stop Cannonball Trains Serve Hamptons Summer Visitors

This summer you'll be able to get from Penn Station to Montauk a whole lot faster.

For the first time in the Long Island Rail Road history, the well-known Cannonball train will feature non-stop express service to the Hamptons from Penn Station. The first stop is in 94 minutes at Westhampton.

Also new in 2013, is a Cannonball train offering customers a quick ride back to New York City on Sunday evenings.

On Fridays, the Cannonball East will leave Penn Station at 4:07 p.m., and does not stop at Jamaica. It arrives in Westhampton at 5:41 p.m., Southampton at 6:03 p.m., Bridgehampton at 6:13 p.m., East Hampton at 6:25 p.m., and finally in Montauk, 6:48 p.m. The train bypasses Hampton Bays and Amagansett stations.

For those who have to return to the city on Sundays, the Cannonball West service departs Montauk at 6:37 p.m., East Hampton at 7:01 p.m., Bridgehampton at 7:10 p.m., Southampton at 7:20 p.m., Hampton Bays at 7:31 p.m. and Westhampton at 7:39 p.m. The train will then run express to Jamaica, arriving at 9:10 p.m. and arrived at Penn Station at 9:33 p.m. On the westbound train, only Amagansett is bypassed.

The decision to add these services was due, in part, to increased summer demand on the Montauk branch, according to Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the LIRR. In 2012, ridership increased 34 percent over 2011, he said.

The new eastbound service will start May 24 and runs through Aug. 30, and the westbound service starts May 27 and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 2. There will also be a Cannonball East train on July 3 and a Cannonball West train on July 4.

Ticket prices remain the same. One-way fare, purchased in advance, is $27, plus $20 for the Hamptons Reserve Service that allows customers to enjoy reserved seating and the service of onboard attendants who serve snacks and beverages at their seats.

“There’s no better way to get from Manhattan to the Hamptons,” said LIRR President Helena E. Williams in a statement on Thursday. “Our customers have long asked for a one-seat ride from Penn Station to the Hamptons and we are listening to them. This move eliminates the need to change trains with baggage at Jamaica.”

Previously, the Cannonball service originated from the Hunterspoint Avenue Terminal in Long Island City. Customers will still be able to catch other Montauk-bound trains at Hunterspoint Avenue on Thursday and Friday afternoons, with connecting service from Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. The Cannonball was first introduced as an express train between Long Island City and Southampton in the 1890s. The only named train the MTA has, it also makes the longest trek — 117 miles from Manhattan to Montauk.

The LIRR is also improving service to the South Fork in other ways this summer. Montauk schedules have been revised to close service gaps on weekends and to address growing demand for stations that serve customers taking ferries to Fire Island from Bay Shore, Sayville and Patchogue, a statement said.