Northeast commuter railroads roll out summer train schedules

A number of northeastern U.S. commuter railroads began rolling out their summer train schedules this week in time for the Memorial Day weekend.

MTA Long Island Rail Road on May 19 began its Cannonball train service from Penn Station to Montauk, New York. The Thursday Cannonball debuted last year and follows the same stopping patterns as the original Cannonball, which operates on summer Fridays.

The train departs Penn Station at 4:07 p.m. EDT and operates express to Westhampton, then makes stops at Southampton, Bridgehampton, Easthampton and Montauk. "The real start to the summer season is days before Memorial Day when the First Cannonball departs Penn Station," said LIRR President Rob Free in a press release. "With 97% of trains arriving on time and ridership surging, there’s never been a better time to visit Long Island by rail than this summer."

Meanwhile, Keolis Commuter Services, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's operations and maintenance partner for the commuter rail, announced that the CapeFLYER will return this weekend for another summer of service between Boston’s South Station and Cape Cod.

Offering roundtrip service, trains will operate Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day, along with expanded holiday service.

The CapeFLYER is a partnership between Keolis, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and MBTA to improve access to Cape Cod for residents and visitors.

“As the CapeFLYER enters its 13th year of service, we’re proud to continue offering a reliable, scenic and stress-free connection between Boston and Cape Cod,” said Kathleen Jensen, acting administrator, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority.