Long Island Rail Road commuters may soon need to make new travel arrangements.

Beginning next week, major track work will be taking place throughout the LIRR, resulting in canceled trains and schedule changes. Fourteen weekday rush hour and 30 weekend trains will be affected by the work this summer.

The work will take place on the Queens interlock, a length of track that is being modernized. What this means is that all trains passing through the area will have to slow down and snake their way through a series of outdated switches and signals. While the changes are sure to cause headaches for many commuters, LIRR President Helena Williams ensures riders that the changes will pay off in the end, with smoother rides and fewer track changes.

?There?s [an area] known as the Bellerose bump that causes trains to sway side-to-side,? Williams says. ?We?ll be taking that bump out as we put in new switches with microprocessor technology. It?ll move trains more efficiently and smoothly in our operation.?

However, many commuters still have not heard about the schedule changes, which have been posted inside each station. ?Usually if you take the train you have a ticket ? you don?t go in the station, so you wouldn?t know,? says Qiana Smith, of Uniondale.

LIRR representatives urge all commuters to check the new schedules before the changes begin next week.

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