Sports
Opening Day Marks 46th Year for Mets Fans on LIRR
LIRR's Port Washington branch will take fans to home games for 46th straight season.
The snow has melted, the sun is shining, and it's time for baseball in New York. For the 46th year in a row, the Port Washington branch of the Long Island Rail Road will be taking Mets fans to home games.
Mike Charles, of the LIRR Media Department, said since the Mets' move to Shea Stadium in 1964, the Long Island Rail Road has brought fans to Queens via the Port Washington branch.
According to a sign at the Port Washington station, taking the train to CitiField is "the fastest way" to get to Mets games. Robin Rashbaum of Flower Hill agrees. "It's much easier," she said. "There's no traffic, and it only takes a half hour."
Find out what's happening in Port Washingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Service to the Williets Point-Mets stop began on April 4, when the Mets held a practice which was open to fans. The team opens its 2010 campaign today at CitiField against the Florida Marlins.
According to the MTA, the LIRR will be providing additional trains to and from Port Washington on game days, to supplement the regular schedule and accomodate fans. Instead of one train an hour, trains will be operating twice an hour when the Mets are in action. Trains on the Port Washington branch reach Willets Point directly, but fans from other branches can still get to the game by transferring at Woodside.
Find out what's happening in Port Washingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Charles explained that between five and nine percent of Mets fans take the LIRR to the game, with more opting for the train because of the lack of parking available at CitiField and its surrounding area.
"I usually take the train," said Jackie Murphy, of Garden City, who took the 10:40 a.m. train to today's season opener. "I hate after the game trying to get out of the parking lot."
Many baseball fans in Port Washington who ride the train believe the LIRR is much more convenient than driving into Queens.
"It's easier," said Dan Pearles, of Albertson, who also took the train from Port Washington to Mets' Opening Day. "Parking's getting so expensive. It's easier to take the train."
Timetables for the Port Washington Long Island Rail Road branch are currently available at the station on Main Street, and on the LIRR's Web site.
