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Community Corner

Cannonball Trains to, from Hamptons Begin

Non-stop service between Manhattan and the Hamptons is new in 2013.

Traveling between Manhattan and Westhampton will be a lot faster and easier this season for rail riders.

On Friday, the Long Island Rail Road began its revised Cannonball service, which goes straight from Penn Station to the Hamptons, non-stop. In past summers, the service originated from the Hunterspoint Avenue Terminal in Long Island City.

The first stop after boarding at Penn Station is in 94 minutes at Westhampton.

The Cannonball East will leave Penn Station at 4:07 p.m. Fridays. The first stop is Westhampton at 5:41 p.m., followed by Southampton at 6:03 p.m., Bridgehampton at 6:13 p.m., East Hampton at 6:25 p.m., and finally in Montauk at 6:48 p.m. The train bypasses Hampton Bays and Amagansett stations.

For those who have to return to the city on Sundays or holiday Mondays, the Cannonball West service departs Montauk at 6:37 p.m., East Hampton at 7:01 p.m., Bridgehampton at 7:10 p.m., Southampton at 7:20 p.m., Hampton Bays at 7:31 p.m. and Westhampton at 7:39 p.m. The train will then run express to Jamaica, arriving at 9:10 p.m. and arrived at Penn Station at 9:33 p.m. On the westbound train, only Amagansett is bypassed.

The new eastbound service runs through Aug. 30, and the westbound service starts Monday and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 2. There will also be a Cannonball eastbound train on July 3 and a westbound train on July 4.

Ticket prices remain the same. One-way fare, purchased in advance, is $27, plus $20 for the Hamptons Reserve Service that allows customers to enjoy reserved seating and the service of onboard attendants who serve snacks and beverages at their seats.

Customers will still be able to catch other Montauk-bound trains at Hunterspoint Avenue on Thursday and Friday afternoons, with connecting service from Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. The Cannonball was first introduced as an express train between Long Island City and Southampton in the 1890s. The only named train the MTA has, it also makes the longest trek — 117 miles from Manhattan to Montauk.

The LIRR is also improving service to the South Fork in other ways this summer. Montauk branch schedules have been revised to close service gaps on weekends and to address growing demand for stations that serve customers taking ferries to Fire Island from Bay Shore, Sayville and Patchogue, a statement said.

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