Home/LIRR/Babylon Branch/Forest Hills to Penn Station
Forest Hills → Penn Station
- Travel time
- 14min
- Peak fare
- $7.25
- Off-peak
- $5.25
- Weekday trains
- 40
Trains run direct from Forest Hills to Penn Station on the Babylon Branch, no change of train. The trip takes 13 to 16 minutes and covers 8.1 miles with 0 stops in between. There are 40 trains each weekday, roughly one every 27 minutes, with the first at 1:16 AM and the last at 12:02 AM. A one-way ticket costs $7.25 at peak and $5.25 off-peak.
This is the inbound direction, into Penn Station. Weekday trains scheduled to arrive between 6:00 and 10:00 AM charge the peak fare, $7.25; the rest of the day and all weekend the off-peak fare, $5.25, applies. In this direction the gap between trains is about 30 minutes in the morning peak and 60 minutes at midday. 28 of the 40 weekday trains skip stops; the fastest run is what the travel-time range below reflects. Going back, Penn Station to Forest Hills has 38 weekday trains, first at 12:24 AM and last at 11:48 PM, taking 14 to 17 minutes.
Updated 21 Sep 2026 · Long Island Rail Road GTFS · MTA LIRR fare chart, effective January 4 2026
The Babylon Branch runs along the South Shore of Nassau and western Suffolk, from Jamaica through Rockville Centre, Freeport and Massapequa to Babylon. It is electrified end to end, so trains run through to Penn Station, Grand Central Madison and Atlantic Terminal without a change.
Calling points
ServiceForest Hills to Penn Station
FaresZone 1 → Zone 1
Source: MTA LIRR fare chart, effective January 4 2026.
How the pass break-even is calculated
The LIRR prices a ticket by the fare zone you start in and the zone you end in. There are eight zones in use: 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 14. Zone 1 is the Manhattan and Brooklyn terminals, Penn Station, Grand Central Madison and Atlantic Terminal, together with the stations nearest them. The zone numbers climb as you travel east, so a longer trip crosses more zones and costs more.
Peak fares apply on weekday trains scheduled to arrive at a New York terminal between 6:00 and 10:00 AM, or to leave one between 4:00 and 8:00 PM. Every other train, and every train on a weekend or holiday, is off-peak. Trips that stay entirely within zones 4 to 14, with neither end in the city, cost the same on every train.
Tickets are sold in the MTA TrainTime app, at station ticket machines and windows, and on board. Buying on board costs more than buying before you get on. Senior, disabled and Medicare fares are reduced and are not valid on weekday morning peak trains into New York. Weekly and monthly tickets cover unlimited travel between two zones for the period and are the usual choice for a five-day commute. The monthly pass break-even shown on each trip page is that pass price divided by the one-way peak fare, rounded up.
Stopping pattern
Questions
How long is the train from Forest Hills to Penn Station?
Between 13 and 16 minutes on the published schedule; the typical run is 14 minutes, non-stop.
Are there express trains from Forest Hills to Penn Station?
Yes. 28 of the 40 weekday trains skip stops. The fastest makes 0 stops and the fullest 1, which is the difference between 13 and 16 minutes.
Is it cheaper off-peak?
Yes. The one-way fare is $5.25 off-peak and $7.25 on a peak train. Peak means a weekday arrival at the terminal between 6:00 and 10:00 AM.
When is the first and last train from Forest Hills?
The first weekday departure is at 1:16 AM and the last at 12:02 AM. Weekends run 25 trains on Saturday and 24 on Sunday.
How often do trains run in the morning peak?
Between 6 and 10 AM the gap between departures averages about 30 minutes in this direction.
Are Forest Hills and Penn Station accessible?
Forest Hills is listed as fully accessible and Penn Station as fully accessible in the MTA station dataset. Lift outages are not reflected here; check the operator before you travel.
Which fare zones does this trip cross?
Forest Hills is in zone 1 and Penn Station in zone 1. The fare is set by those two zones, not by the stops in between.
Do I need to change trains?
No. Every train counted here runs direct on the Babylon Branch.