Long Island Railroad Ronkonkoma Branch

As a tip for GPS directions you can input in 80 railroad ave or 1098 Easton ave in ronkonkoma… Either one will get you there.

I recently tried to take LIRR to JFK. The ticket seller said he would sell me a ticket that would take me all the way to JFK for $ 20.50.
He gave me an LIRR ticket only with no receipt. I did not know about a metro card/​ticket.
Only after boarding the train did I realize that my ticket showed only a $ 14.00 credit. The conductor told me the ticket was only valid for LIRR and that I would need to buy another Metro type of ticket to get to JFK.
That was when I realized that the ticket seller either deliberately held back the metro card part or forgot to give it to me.
It was very annoying as I had to buy the metro card/​ticket at Jamiaca to get to JFK.
Lesson: be very careful when going to JFK from this station. Ensure you have the correct tickets and that you get a receipt.
I have traveled globally and rarely have had this type of error in ticketing. It’s especially disappointing since I grew up on LI.

LIRR is the only «easy» way to commute to the city for Eastern Long Islanders. The Ronkonkoma station is typically the end of the line for most rides heading east bound from Penn.
When riding, be sure to get to Ronkonkoma early in the AM for decent parking. By 9am the parking lots and garage are completely full, with hundreds of cars choosing to illegally park, rather than heading home. The annexed parking lot is not paved, consisting or dirt and large stones. This is a muddy and puddle filled lot any time it rains. Commuters will typically find themselves walking in the road to avoid 4″ deep puddles.
Whenever the weather is extremely cold or hot, be prepared for delays, as switching station issues are quite common.
Finally the train cars themselves leave a bit to be desired for anyone with experience with other rail providers. Amenities such as wifi, usb or Ac/​DC power should not expected.
There is a lot of room for improvement, but most likely very little budget to do so. With more and more people communing to the city from Eastern Long Island, you would think that one of the stations further east of Ronkonkoma would be transitioned to a main hub, but we riders shouldn’t hold their breath.
LIRR we know you are the only train in town, but please try and surpass our expectations as commuters and not just stifle complaints.

the parking lot was not plowed today 1÷285÷2015 after the snow storm. you should be ashamed
i was shocked this morning

Just started commuting and I am pleasantly surprised as to how clean and nice our trains are. the conductors are nice and not obnoxious.

I only know about going east
The train has been replaced with a coach bus until November, it’s always on time. Very efficient. it’s clean there’s no trash. seats are comfortable, it’s a very quiet peaceful and scenic ride. It passes by a couple farms.
Expect anything westbound to be the complete opposite
Going east there’s usually only 5 other people with you it’s a rather lonely ride. Usually the people who ride this train are the elderly with tons of luggage. there’s maybe one or two young and middle aged people.
Yappank is totally desolate, nothing but farm equipment
Medford has a thrift shop and a steakhouse by it not sure if it’s any good though. They’re always having a special!
Riverhead is the stop most people get off at. It’s not as desolate as everyone says. It’s just near by a very quaint town. There’s a barber shop, a bar, a bodega, and an abandoned restaurant. Yes there are lots of bums at the riverhead station but they don’t approach anyone in the daytime they just stare at you really vapidly. Riverhead gets really sketchy at night though. Lots of bums asking for money, lots of drug dealers asking if you want shitty drugs. I do not advise anyone to take the 10 pm train home. The trains here leaving are always on time but I probably would’ve gotten mugged if I didn’t give any money to the bum who asked me. So if you have to take that train walk straight and don’t bring attention to yourself (don’t walk too slowly or too fast) Other than that, relatively safe. I wish there were more trains though going home from the east.
I’m not sure about the other stops east but I’m pretty sure they are rather lonely.

The station itself is fine. Always a wonder what side you’re going to pull up on. Not the best set up for picking up people on the business side. But usually clean. Aesthetically okay, though really nice if you go into the proper ticketing area (which is also where to find the restrooms ;-). Such nice, old school woodwork. Nice that you have a little deli, shop for drinks/​beer, and Dunkin, if you need them.
The trains are also fine. Same they use on the Metro North. Though, for some reason, I have the hardest time finding cars with outlets. And I’ve never had to move when sitting in that little «conductors seat» when on a Metro North. But they seemed to use every one of them on this line.
But, better than some other public transpo throughout the country… and some decent scenery to watch while you pass on by.

Split Personality Line
If you are traveling between New York City, and stations between there and Ronkonkoma this line will fit the bill. Most train run direct between Penn Station and Ronkonkoma so you do not need to change at Jamaica. That said if you are riding this line during weekday rush hours, there are a few train that run direct to downtown Brooklyn, as opposed to Penn Station. Speaking of Brooklyn, you can always transfer at Jamaica for service to the Brooklyn terminal, which is next to the Barclays Center.
Now for the «other side», the LIRR runs only a few trains EAST of Ronkonkoma, and there is no weekend service east of Ronkonkoma during the winter months.
If you are looking to travel to towns Riverhead and east through to Greenport, you will do much better by taking the frequent Hampton Jitney North Fork Line service.
Fares are also cheaper for the Jitney North Fork line, and it is rare, if ever, than you have to transfer.
Ken

This is the most efficient way in and out of NYC from LI. Hands down.
I enjoyed being seated next to two old Long Island «aunties» talking non-​stop from Penn station to Ronkonkoma: the gossip, what this person should have done, 30-​minute monologues about that person, list of medications, etc. This was like listening to an episode of the Nanny in a train. LOL.
If you want a thoroughly entertaining train ride, take the LIRR, watch, look, listen and enjoy the show.

Well… It’s hard to review a train station. Some people judge based on trains that come in or leave (possibly late), and some people judge based on the stores offered.
Since trains are late any station you go to, I’ll leave that alone, but to be fair my train is almost never late.
The station itself gets the job done. I mean what do you really need? There’s Dunkin donuts for my last minute breakfasts and coffee, plenty of parking, and pretty easily accessible.
The earlier you get there in the morning the better, the parking lot… Although huge, does fill up pretty quickly!
Overall, it does it’s job as good as a basic train station can. It’s the most convenient train for going into the city, and you can grab some last minute Dunkin!

Its hard for me to see my fiancé all the time I live in the Bronx and work in Brooklyn and she lives in long island but there is something that keeps us connected. The lirr is our link between such a far distance.
When I go to see her it is a long trip but the lirr makes it so comfortable the seats are nice and spacious clean and the workers are so nice. The trip is a lil pricy but the quality is well worth it. I would have gave them a 5 star rating but the bathroom maintenance is not that good.
Over all the trip is fast safe and if you travel off peak its alot cheaper expecially if your going to Ronkonkoma like I have to.
So to conclude I hope you visit an lirr location for your next trip to long island you will have a nice relaxing ride.

Everytime I use this train, it is always on time. For the most part the trains are clean and the conductors are usually friendly. I alwaus try to tell a joke or two to brighten their day. At night, it can get a little crazy. The liquor drinking from brown paper bags needs to stop. I hate how the commuters as well as the train reeks of liquor during day & night hours. And no, I am not talking about the homeless. I am talking about regular (Sometimes well dressed) folk like myself. Stricter regulations need to be in place. That is all.

If I need to hop on the train to get to Penn this is where I’m going. Unless I’m meeting family in Mineola. Plenty of free parking but me personally I rather pay the $ 5 to park in the garage for the day. I’m just OCD with my car and it can get a little sketchy at night.
There’s a few ticket booths outside where you can get your tickets before hopping on board the LIRR. Also a few random shops and food. I’ve gone to the DD in the past and it’s not bad.
Today my ride in took us about an hour and 10 – 15 minutes. We got to skip a few stops. So that was an added bonus. On the way home we hit every stop. So that kinda sucked but it is what it is. Beats sitting in traffic and one of us not drinking.
Also my one gripe is the LIRR definitely needs to update a little and get some power outlets on the train since we need our electronic devices ²⁴⁄₇!

One of the larger stations of the LIRR. This station has lots of parking which is a huge plus on weekends and a few local eateries to visit before heading towards the city. Since, it is on the central line you have plenty of stops so it takes about 1 ½ hour to head to NYC.

I have a love/​hate relationship with the LIRR and the Ronkonkoma Branch is at the heart it. I typically prefer to drive into the city but occasionally there is a need to take the LIRR and when there is I travel through Ronkonkoma. Though there are several stations closer to my home when I choose to travel LIRR I choose Ronkonkoma.
Why do I choose Ronkonkoma you ask? The first answer is obvious to any local who has used the LIRR. You never, ever want to transfer at Jamaica. When using the Ronkonkoma line you have the luxury of staying on the train and avoiding the transfer nightmare at Jamaica. The second reason I choose Ronkonkoma is the parking. With a convenient multilevel garage at a reasonable $ 5.00 rate I feel comfortable knowing that I can leave my car without the fear of a hefty ticket and also know my vehicle will still be there when I return. Other reason’s to travel Ronkonkoma are the Dunkin’ Donuts and bagel shop located at the station for your early morning caffeine needs and the pizza place for your late night booze absorption.
So why only three stars? There’s nothing about this station that blows my hair back. Ronkonkoma station is located in a questionable neighborhood at a place on the LIRR system that guarantees you’ll be paying a premium to make it into the city. If you buy from the ticket machine at the station a round trip ticket from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station will run you $ 23.50 off peak and $ 32.50 peak.

LIRR Ronkonkoma station. Either filled with normal commuters, or intoxicated Jets/​Giants/​Yankee/​Mets/​etc fans. Be prepared.
If you are hungry, they have a Dunkin Donuts and a pizza place. There is an indoor area that you can sit in if there is inclement weather.

If you’re flying into or out of ISP (Long Island MacArthur Airport), then you’ll want to utilize the wonderful functions of the Ronkonkoma Station. There is a $ 5 shuttle that will cheerfully take you the 6 minute ride between the train station and the airport. Easy!
The train was comfortable enough, though as it got closer to Penn Station we picked up more and more passengers making it for a rather tight fit. No power outlets on the train that I could see. When we got stuck and a station for a half hour, the conductors made constant announcements (even though there was no change) that they were doing what they could and didn’t have an ETA on our continued progress. The ride was as smooth as one can expect.
This station looks pretty good for the regular commuters too, with a coffee shop out front and a very large parking deck (no idea how much they charge).
On a quiet holiday evening, there was still a clerk working the ticket office in addition to the automated ticket vending machines out front.
I was able to find a power outlet in the (air conditioned!) ticket office while I waited for the train.

This review is for an off-​peak Saturday trip into NYC.
This place is huge for a suburban train station! I was in awe of it. I’m used to Philadelphia’s Septa stations which are tiny platforms that pretty much have sucky hours and no option to buy tickets except on the train with cash during the weekends. So any place that has ticket machines that accepts cards are a plus in my book. Also, I love that the trains run 24 hours a day. Septa trains stop between 11 pm — 12 am and so if you want to make a night in the city, you pretty much have to drive because the train coming home isn’t an option.
Dunkin Donuts and a few other stores are right there at the station. Lots of parking and access to cabs. I think this is a great option to go into the city and not take your car, and feel that if I needed to go into the city in the future, I would use the train again.

The Ronkonkoma Branch (and station) of the LIRR is one of those listings I look at in 2011 and wonder how it wasn’t incorporated in my first review-​spewing weeks as a Unilocaler.
Unilocal semantics: The listing itself is simultaneously surprisingly informative and unnecessarily loquacious, serving as nomenclature that could be parsed quite a bit, but I digress…
Transportation/​logistic merits, or lack thereof: The Ronkonkoma line has not been cut significantly by the MTA in recent months, but it was never an easy-​to-​return-​on line to begin with, so it’s all relative there. I typically opt for a different line farther west if I want to drive and save on the fare, but the parking situation here is more forgiving, as is the luxury of being able to sleep ’til the train reaches its terminal stop returning from Penn in the late pm/​early am.

A necessary evil as I must use this branch of the LIRR to visit family. Avoid at all costs during rush hours as trains are packed and constantly run late during bad weather. Newer trains cars are nice, but to me the seats seem smaller and more cramped. Bathrooms are much bigger and cleaner then the old one, but still many are already messy and the mirrors have all been scratched up and ruined with graffiti. Rates seem to rise each year, but a least there are lots of trains every hour of the day.
Still, a convenient and mostly relaxing ride to Ronkonkoma. Unless you get the a-​hole near you who has to talk loudly on his cell phone the whole ride, or annoying people who just won’t shut up and tone it down a bit. Conductors are mostly pleasant. Just bring something to read and an Ipod and kick back, and maybe even take a nap as it is the last stop on this line.