Home/LIRR/Babylon Branch/Grand Central to Jamaica
Grand Central → Jamaica
- Travel time
- 21min
- Peak fare
- $7.25
- Off-peak
- $5.25
- Weekday trains
- 100
Trains run direct from Grand Central to Jamaica on the Babylon Branch, no change of train. The trip takes 19 to 23 minutes and covers 9.5 miles with 1 stop in between. There are 100 trains each weekday, roughly one every 11 minutes, with the first at 12:16 AM and the last at 11:53 PM. A one-way ticket costs $7.25 at peak and $5.25 off-peak.
This is the outbound direction, leaving Grand Central Madison. Weekday trains scheduled to leave between 4:00 and 8:00 PM charge the peak fare, $7.25; earlier, later and all weekend the off-peak fare, $5.25, applies. In this direction the gap between trains is about 13 minutes in the morning peak and 15 minutes at midday. 80 of the 100 weekday trains skip stops; the fastest run is what the travel-time range below reflects. Going back, Jamaica to Grand Central has 102 weekday trains, first at 12:50 AM and last at 12:12 AM, taking 18 to 22 minutes. See the return trip.
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
ServiceGrand Central to Jamaica
FaresZone 1 → Zone 3
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 Grand Central to Jamaica?
Between 19 and 23 minutes on the published schedule; the typical run is 21 minutes with 1 stops in between.
Are there express trains from Grand Central to Jamaica?
Yes. 80 of the 100 weekday trains skip stops. The fastest makes 0 stops and the fullest 2, which is the difference between 19 and 23 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 departure from the terminal between 4:00 and 8:00 PM.
When is the first and last train from Grand Central?
The first weekday departure is at 12:16 AM and the last at 11:53 PM. Weekends run 74 trains on Saturday and 60 on Sunday.
How often do trains run in the morning peak?
Between 6 and 10 AM the gap between departures averages about 13 minutes in this direction.
Are Grand Central and Jamaica accessible?
Grand Central is listed as fully accessible and Jamaica 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?
Grand Central is in zone 1 and Jamaica in zone 3. 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.