Friday, May 22, 2026 is the first full week of “normal” service since the LIRR strike, and tomorrow heads into a busy Memorial Day weekend. The Long Island Rail Road is back up and running after service was restored at noon on Tuesday, May 19, and the rest of the subway system is gearing up for holiday-weekend track work. Here’s what New Yorkers riding the rails on Friday and into the weekend need to know.
What Lines Are Affected
- LIRR — Full service restored. The strike that suspended LIRR service has ended; trains have been running on a normal schedule since Tuesday, May 19 at noon.
- G train — Heads-up for next week. Weeknight closures kick in Tuesday, May 26 through Thursday, May 28 between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs.
- Weekend subway work — The MTA’s May 22–25 Weekender publishes Friday afternoon. Check mta.info/alerts before heading out tomorrow night.
LIRR: Back to Normal After the Strike
If you’ve been working from home or piecing together shuttle buses since last weekend, you’re cleared to go back to your regular Long Island Rail Road commute. According to the MTA’s official update, LIRR service resumed on Tuesday, May 19 at noon, with the first trains operating on the Babylon, Huntington, Port Washington, and Ronkonkoma branches, followed shortly by the others.
Two things to know for Friday:
- Refunds for May monthly ticket holders are planned for any business day service was suspended, pending MTA board approval. Watch mta.info for the application process.
- The Cannonball returns Thursdays and Fridays starting this season. The Memorial Day-weekend seasonal Penn Station-to-Montauk express debuts for the summer running pattern starting this period — check current LIRR timetables on TrainTime for the exact 2026 departure time before you book your beach plans.
G Train: Plan for Next Week’s Weeknight Closures
If you ride the G in Long Island City, Williamsburg, or Greenpoint, mark your calendar. Per the MTA’s official G line 2026 service-change notice, the following weeknight closures are confirmed for Tuesday–Thursday next week:
- 9:45 p.m. to 5 a.m., May 26–28: G trains will not run between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs.
- Overnight May 26–27: Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avs and Court Sq, with connection to the F at 21 St-Queensbridge while Manhattan-bound F trains are rerouted.
- Overnight May 27–28: Free T403 shuttle buses make all G stops between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs.
These closures support the ongoing CBTC signal modernization project on the G line. Expect more weekend closures on the G later in the summer: May 29–June 1, June 6–7, June 12–15, and June 19–22 are all on the schedule.
Memorial Day Weekend: What to Watch For
Memorial Day this year falls on Monday, May 25, 2026. Subways, buses, LIRR, and Metro-North traditionally run holiday/Sunday-style schedules on Memorial Day, and the MTA typically uses the long weekend to bundle major track work into weekend-night windows. The official MTA Weekender for May 22–25 publishes Friday afternoon — check it before any after-work travel tomorrow night.
How to Stay on Top of Real-Time Changes
The MTA publishes weekend service-change details on its Planned Service Changes lookup tool at mta.info/alerts, and the Friday Weekender email newsletter drops every Friday around noon. For real-time arrivals, the MTA app and TrainTime app are the fastest way to see what your specific train is doing right now. Sign up for service alerts at mta.info to get notifications for the specific lines you ride.
Sources verified against MTA.info primary publications: LIRR service resumption notice (May 19, 2026), G line 2026 service-change announcement (April 27, 2026, updated May 6, 2026).
