Home/LIRR/Babylon Branch/Penn Station to Woodside
Penn Station → Woodside
- Travel time
- 12min
- Peak fare
- $7.25
- Off-peak
- $5.25
- Weekday trains
- 86
Trains run direct from Penn Station to Woodside on the Babylon Branch, no change of train. The trip takes 11 to 13 minutes and covers 4.8 miles with 0 stops in between. There are 86 trains each weekday, roughly one every 15 minutes, with the first at 12:27 AM and the last at 11:57 PM. A one-way ticket costs $7.25 at peak and $5.25 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, $7.25; earlier, later and all weekend the off-peak fare, $5.25, applies. In this direction the gap between trains is about 19 minutes in the morning peak and 15 minutes at midday. Going back, Woodside to Penn Station has 88 weekday trains, first at 12:53 AM and last at 1:03 AM, taking 10 to 13 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
ServicePenn Station to Woodside
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 Penn Station to Woodside?
Between 11 and 13 minutes on the published schedule; the typical run is 12 minutes, non-stop.
Do any trains skip stops?
No. All 86 weekday trains make the same stops, so the time varies only with dwell and connections.
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 Penn Station?
The first weekday departure is at 12:27 AM and the last at 11:57 PM. Weekends run 91 trains on Saturday and 92 on Sunday.
How often do trains run in the morning peak?
Between 6 and 10 AM the gap between departures averages about 19 minutes in this direction.
Are Penn Station and Woodside accessible?
Penn Station is listed as fully accessible and Woodside 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 Woodside 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.