Thursday, October 1, 2026
As a heavy snowfall accumulated on the South Shore on Wednesday morning, blowing in drifts at subzero temperatures, local commuters weathered the storm while all train and bus services offered additional lines and detours.
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said the county’s snow removal operations have went “very well,” making roads passable, but he urged drivers to reduce their speeds.
“We ask motorists to slow down,” Mangano said Wednesday. He added that he had received reports of 148 accidents, most of them “minor fender benders.” He also requested that residents make an effort to clear snow from around fire hydrants near them and avoid using their hands to clear snow from snow blowers, which he said was the “number one cause” of snowstorm-related emergency calls.
Some 200 county workers and 100 pieces of equipment were hard at work clearing roads, according to Mangano. He reported no county roads closures.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday that the Long Island Rail Road will offer eight additional eastbound trains leaving Penn Station in time for evening rush.
The Ronkonkoma branch, according to MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan, provided an extra train departing Penn Station, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, Mineola, Westbury, Hicksville, Bethpage, Farmingdale, and all stops to Ronkonkoma.
On the Babylon branch, the LIRR dispatched four extra trains stopping at Jamaica and Rockville Centre, and then proceeded to all stops up to Babylon.
Donovan also said the LIRR continued to operate on a reduced weekend schedule throughout the day, still providing additional bus service to substitute suspended lines on the West Hempstead and eastbound Ronkonkoma branches.
On the West Hempstead Branch, according to the MTA website, commuters boarded westbound buses to Valley Stream, which began with a 7:30 a.m. departure from West Hempstead, and operated at two-hour intervals throughout the day, until 9:05 p.m.
Eastbound buses departed from Valley Stream starting at 8:32 a.m., then every two hours with a final run at 10:05 p.m.
While the LIRR encountered some weather-related problems on Tuesday and Wednesday, Donovan said train service was "largely normal" and will resume regular weekday schedule at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Click here for special service announcements by the LIRR.
The Nassau Inter County Express bus service also encountered severe delays and detours on Tuesday, changing its routes as road conditions become treacherous, according to NICE spokesman Andy Kraus.
“NICE has a storm plan, which includes making decisions on changes to service on routes that are traditionally impacted by weather and bad road conditions,” Kraus said. ““NICE is closely monitoring weather conditions and will make decisions about service as warranted.”
NICE bus service alerts are available at www.nicebus.com.
