Amid LIRR strike and Knicks-Cavs Game 1, Long Island commuters can still find parking spots in NYC garages
Knicks fans celebrate during a watch party next to MSG Monday night. May 4, 2026. Credit: Ed Quinn
If the Long Island Rail Road strike continues, Knicks fans who usually take the LIRR to games will be forced to find alternative options to get to Madison Square Garden.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers is set for 8 p.m. Tuesday night at the Garden. While driving to the game may not be preferable for fans who typically commute to Penn Station, it may be the simplest option.
Increased traffic has been an issue during the strike, but parking spots for Tuesday’s game are available on SpotHero. Spots listed within a half-mile of the Garden ranged from $25.44 to $65.25, as of 1:30 p.m. Monday.
When asked by Newsday if the Knicks had any plans for Long Islanders traveling to the game given the strike, an MSG spokesperson directed attention to the blue header atop MSG.com, which reads: “Due to the LIRR strike, we encourage guests to plan ahead and allow for additional travel time. Events will continue as scheduled.”
The Knicks have a similar header on their website that reads: “Due to the LIRR strike, we encourage guests to plan ahead and allow for additional travel time. Knicks games will continue as scheduled.”
The Garden already had one major event since the strike started as Bruce Springsteen performed there Saturday night.
An MTA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on alternative public transportation options to the Garden.
MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber told WABC-TV on Monday that “we are headed in a positive direction” and “if we can get a deal done, we can have service on the next day.”
For essential workers and those who cannot work from home, the MTA is providing limited shuttle bus service on weekdays. Buses are running during peak hours to and from six Long Island locations to subway transfer points in Queens, though they mostly are running toward Manhattan from 4:30-9 a.m. and to Long Island from 3-7 p.m.
The MTA website also states that “limited reverse peak service” will be available on “some routes,” including from the Bay Shore LIRR station to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport subway station (the A train) and from the Huntington and Ronkonkoma LIRR stations to the Jamaica-179th Street subway station (the F train). It’s unclear what those schedules will look like for Knicks games.
The first local major sporting event held after the strike began was on Saturday, the second game of the Subway Series at Citi Field.
During the strike, the Mets are offering a new shuttle line to fans to and from the Manhasset LIRR station. The Mets already had been offering shuttles — which are coach buses — to and from five other stops, including two on Long Island: Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station and Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City. Round-trip shuttle tickets cost $8.99 per person and $25 for a family of four.
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
