Home/LIRR/Ronkonkoma Branch/Penn Station to Ronkonkoma
Penn Station → Ronkonkoma
- Travel time
- 82min
- Peak fare
- $21.50
- Off-peak
- $16.00
- Weekday trains
- 42
Trains run direct from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma on the Ronkonkoma Branch, no change of train. The trip takes 78 to 87 minutes and covers 46.6 miles with 10 stops in between. There are 42 trains each weekday, roughly one every 31 minutes, with the first at 12:00 AM and the last at 11:37 PM. A one-way ticket costs $21.50 at peak and $16.00 off-peak.
This is the outbound direction, leaving Penn Station. Weekday trains scheduled to leave between 4:00 and 8:00 PM charge the peak fare, $21.50; earlier, later and all weekend the off-peak fare, $16.00, applies. In this direction the gap between trains is about 68 minutes in the morning peak and 25 minutes at midday. 39 of the 42 weekday trains skip stops; the fastest run is what the travel-time range below reflects. Going back, Ronkonkoma to Penn Station has 40 weekday trains, first at 12:18 AM and last at 11:54 PM, taking 77 to 86 minutes. See the return trip.
Updated 21 Sep 2026 · Long Island Rail Road GTFS · MTA LIRR fare chart, effective January 4 2026
The Ronkonkoma Branch runs from Jamaica along the Main Line through Mineola and Hicksville, then east through Bethpage, Farmingdale, Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood and Central Islip to Ronkonkoma, the busiest station in Suffolk County.
Calling points
ServicePenn Station to Ronkonkoma
FaresZone 1 → Zone 10
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 Penn Station to Ronkonkoma?
Between 78 and 87 minutes on the published schedule; the typical run is 82 minutes with 10 stops in between.
Are there express trains from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma?
Yes. 39 of the 42 weekday trains skip stops. The fastest makes 4 stops and the fullest 12, which is the difference between 78 and 87 minutes.
Is it cheaper off-peak?
Yes. The one-way fare is $16.00 off-peak and $21.50 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 Penn Station?
The first weekday departure is at 12:00 AM and the last at 11:37 PM. Weekends run 40 trains on Saturday and 40 on Sunday.
How often do trains run in the morning peak?
Between 6 and 10 AM the gap between departures averages about 68 minutes in this direction.
Are Penn Station and Ronkonkoma accessible?
Penn Station is listed as fully accessible and Ronkonkoma 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?
Penn Station is in zone 1 and Ronkonkoma in zone 10. 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 Ronkonkoma Branch.