This week, Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (D-Sag Harbor) announced that the Enacted State Budget provides $750,000 for the operating costs of the South Fork Commuter Bus Service, an increase of $250,000 over the Executive proposal and over last year’s budget.

“The SFCC has been a tremendous success. Since its kickoff in March 2019, ridership on the South Fork Commuter Connection’s train and shuttle trips continues to increase,” said Assembly Member Fred Thiele. “The SFCC makes our economy stronger and improves public transit options for our East End community. I am thrilled that we were able to secure additional funding for the shuttle busses to help accommodate the increasing ridership with additional buses. Commuters must know that they can rely on continuous service to get to work and that their demand for efficient public transport does not go unheard.”

Assemblyman Thiele, LIRR Interim President Catherine Rinaldi and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone recently announced that the South Fork Commuter Connection service will run on summer Fridays in 2023. Three trains will be available on summer Fridays. Only one train, the 4:52 pm westbound train originating from Montauk will be suspended, because of a conflict with the “Cannonball”. Additional updated information on the SFCC is available here.

In a recent letter addressed to Assemblyman Thiele, LIRR President Rinaldi also highlighted a package of proposed capital investments to improve South Fork mobility, including signal upgrades, station enhancements and other associated infrastructure work to add capacity on the Long Island Rail Road's Montauk Branch between Speonk and Montauk. These improvements will allow for additional service to and from Long Island's South Fork, improve operational flexibility and enhance the ability to recover from delays and service disruptions.