Cannonball
The Cannonball passing through Bay Shore in 2008.
Overview
Service typeCommuter rail
Inter-city rail
StatusOperating
LocaleNortheast United States
Long Island
First service1899 (as Cannon Ball)
Current operator(s)Long Island Rail Road
Route
TerminiNew York City
Montauk, New York
Stops9 (Westbound)
6 (Eastbound)
Distance travelled118.0 miles (190 km)
Average journey time3 hours
Service frequencyWeekly[1]
Eastbound on summer Fridays
Westbound on summer Sundays
Train number(s)16 (eastbound)[1]
6017 (westbound)[1]
On-board services
Class(es)
  • Unreserved Coach
  • Reserved Coach (Hampton Reserve Service)
Seating arrangementsCoach seating (2 by 2)
Catering facilitiesSnacks and drinks served to passengers at their seat (Hampton Reserve Service)
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks
Technical
Rolling stock
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification750 V (DC) third rail (Penn Station to Babylon)
None (Babylon to Montauk)
Track owner(s)LIRR

The Cannonball is a seasonal named train operated by the Long Island Rail Road between Penn Station in New York City and the Montauk station on Long Island, New York. The train operates from May through October, running Fridays to Montauk and Sundays to New York.[2]

Route

The boarding of a Hamptons Reserve car of a Cannonball train at Penn Station on May 24, 2013. This was the first Cannonball train to depart from Penn Station instead of from Long Island City.

The Cannonball utilizes the Main Line between Penn Station and Jamaica and continues to Montauk either via the entire Montauk Branch or via the Main Line and Central Branch to the Montauk Branch depending on the schedule. Unlike regular Montauk Branch trains, it does not make any intermediate stops between Jamaica and the Hamptons.

Fare and ticket information

As of April 21, 2019, an adult one-way ticket from Penn Station (Zone 1) to stations in The Hamptons (Zone 14) costs $30.50 (at the ticket machine or MYmta app) or $37.00 (if purchased on-board the train).[3] Hamptons Reserve Service, which offers reserved seating and additional on-board services in the two rear cars, costs an additional $20.00.[2]

On-board services

Hamptons Reserve Service

Introduced in 2001 to replace the parlor cars, the two rear cars of the train are reserved for Hamptons Reserve Service, a premium service with reserved seating and full bar service reminiscent of the previous parlor cars.[2][4][5]

History

An eastbound Cannonball passing through Woodside in 2009

Pre-MTA

The Cannonball, originally known as the Cannon Ball Express, was inaugurated in 1899, four years after construction of the railroad to Montauk was completed.[6][7]: 110  between Long Island City and either Montauk or Greenport. This service pattern had the train's consist split at the now-closed Manorville station:[8] one section would continue via the Main Line to Greenport, while the other would travel via the Manorville Branch to join the Montauk Branch at Eastport, thereafter continuing to Montauk. The train originally operated eastbound on Friday and Saturday afternoons and westbound on Saturday and Monday Mornings, running nonstop between Jamaica and Speonk.[9][10]

In summer 1922, the LIRR renamed the train as the Sunrise Special. Between Memorial Day and Columbus Day, service was operated eastbound from Penn Station to Montauk on Friday afternoons and westbound on Monday mornings, with bidirectional Monday–Saturday service during July and August. At this time, the train consisted entirely of pullman cars.[7]: 114  By 1930, the name Cannon Ball was again used for the train departing late Friday afternoons and serving both Montauk and Gerenport, while the name Sunrise Special was given to a newly-inaugurated early afternoon Montauk Branch train.[8] Service to and from Penn Station required a change of locomotive at Jamaica.

The section to Greenport was discontinued in 1942 and the train was re-routed via the Montauk Branch when the Manorville Branch closed in 1949.

The Cannon Ball carried both standard-fare coaches and parlor cars. Historically, the train has been known for its parlor car service, and ridership on the train has been accordingly perceived as a status symbol.[6]

Post-MTA

After the MTA takeover of the LIRR, the name of the train changed to Cannonball.[11] Parlor cars were retired in 2000 and replaced with Hamptons Reserve Service when the LIRR replaced their P72 and P75 coaches with C3s. Beginning in 2013, the western terminus of the train was changed from Hunterspoint Avenue to Penn Station, with the train utilizing dual-mode DM30AC locomotives.[2] This change also eliminated the stop at Jamaica; the Cannonball would run nonstop between Penn Station and Westhampton with a scheduled travel time of 94 minutes. MTA officials expressed that Penn Station was better equipped to handle large crowds, in contrast to Hunterspoint Avenue and Jamaica. At the same time, the MTA introduced the Cannonball West, a Sunday evening train between Montauk and Penn Station that would run nonstop between Westhampton and Jamaica.[12]

Stations

The Cannonball stops at the following stations:[13]

Zone[14] Town/City Station Miles (km)
from NYP[lower-alpha 1]		 Date
opened		 Connections and notes
1 New York City Penn Station 0.0 (0) 1910 Amtrak Amtrak: Adirondack, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter
LIRR: Main Line, Port Washington Branch
NJ Transit NJ Transit: North Jersey Coast Line, Northeast Corridor Line, Gladstone Branch, Montclair-Boonton Line, Morristown Line
NYC Subway: 1, ​2, ​3, A, ​C, ​E, B, ​D, ​F, <F>, ​M​, N, ​Q, ​R, and ​W
Port Authority Trans-Hudson PATH: Hoboken–33rd Street, Journal Square–33rd Street, Journal Square–33rd Street (via Hoboken)
Bus transport NYC Transit buses
3 Jamaica, Queens Jamaica
(westbound only)		 11.2 (18.0) 1836 LIRR: Grand Central Madison, Atlantic, Babylon, Far Rockaway, Montauk, Long Beach, West Hempstead and all other eastern branches
New York City Subway: E​, ​J, and ​Z (at Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport)
Bus transport NYC Transit buses
Bus transport Nassau Inter-County Express
AirTrain JFK
14 Westhampton Westhampton 76.5 (123.1) 1870 Bus transport Suffolk County Transit
Hampton Bays Hampton Bays
(westbound only)		 83.4 (134.2) 1869 Bus transport Suffolk County Transit
Southampton Southampton 91.5 (147.3) 1871 Bus transport Suffolk County Transit
Bridgehampton Bridgehampton 96.2 (154.8) 1870 Bus transport Suffolk County Transit
East Hampton East Hampton 103.1 (165.9) 1895 Bus transport Suffolk County Transit
Amagansett Amagansett
(westbound only)		 104.3 (167.9) 1895 Bus transport Suffolk County Transit
Montauk Montauk 118.0 (189.9) 1895 Bus transport Suffolk County Transit

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Mileage varies depending on the precise route. These numbers assume using the Main Line from New York Penn to Jamaica and the Montauk Branch from Jamaica to Montauk.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Montauk Branch Timetable". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 22, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "LIRR to Operate First Non-Stop Service from Manhattan to Hamptons". MTA Long Island Rail Road. April 18, 2013. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  3. ↑ "New Fares — Effective April 21, 2019". MTA.info. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  4. ↑ Confidential (June 9, 2013). "The pampered pretties from Bravo's 'Princesses: Long Island' discover bar car on LIRR express". nydailynews.com. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Hamptons Reserve Service LIRR Returns (222560". nycsubway.org. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Sen, Indrani (July 8, 2001). "Riders Making Tracks On The Hamptons Line". Newsday. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Morrison, David D. (2021). Long Island Rail Road: Montauk Branch. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467106900.
  8. 1 2 "Summer Schedule on L.I. Railroad Goes Into Effect". Brooklyn Daily Times. June 1, 1930. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Last Trips of the Cannon Ball". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 24, 1899. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Heaviest Fourth of July Passenger Traffic This Year in the History of the Road". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 6, 1908. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "The LIRR Extra List". trainsarefun.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  12. ↑ Castillo, Alfonso A. (April 18, 2013). "LIRR: 'Cannonball' run straight from Penn to Hamptons". Newsday. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Express LIRR 'Cannonball' Service To Hamptons Begins Today". CBS New York. May 24, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  14. ↑ "New Fares — Effective April 21, 2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  15. ↑ Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. IV. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
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