How to get there if the LIRR shuts down at 12:01 Saturday

The Long Island Rail Road may shut down just after midnight Friday if MTA leaders and LIRR union leaders don’t come to an agreement on wages.

A strike by workers at the nation’s largest commuter railway would leave roughly 270,000 daily riders scrambling for transportation alternatives. It would also cause "severe congestion and delays," the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has warned, advising riders to avoid nonessential travel and work from home if possible.

A recent Newsday analysis found that some commutes into Manhattan could take twice as long. Here are some transportation options.

What will the MTA do?

That depends on where you live. The MTA will provide limited but free shuttle bus service on weekdays from six locations on Long Island to subway transfer points in Queens. Nassau commuters will have more options than those in Suffolk.

During morning peak hours, 4:30 to 9 a.m., buses will run every 10 minutes from pickup points at Long Island Rail Road stations at Bay Shore, Huntington, Ronkonkoma, Hempstead Lake State Park (near the Lakeview station), Hicksville and Mineola into Queens. Bay Shore, Hempstead Lake Park, Hicksville and Mineola buses will run to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport A subway station. Huntington and Ronkonkoma buses will run to the Jamaica-179 St. F at Hillside Avenue and 179 Street.

During evening peak hours, 3 to 7 p.m., buses will run from Queens to Long Island locations.

There also will be limited reverse peak service to and from Bay Shore, Huntington and Ronkonkoma.

MTA officials have said 165 and 275 buses could be used, costing the MTA $325,000 to $550,000 per day.

Any other options?

Nassau customers have additional options. NICE Bus connects to a number of Queens subway stops on the E, F, A, 7, J and Z lines. NICE also connects to the Jamaica Bus Terminal.

Some Queens subway stops are also close to roadways leading to and from Long Island, making drop-off by car feasible. Those stations are: Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue A, Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike EF, Ozone Park-Lefferts Boulevard A, Sheepshead Bay BQ and Woodhaven Boulevard J.

AAA warned that a strike would add more traffic to westbound roads that are already jammed at rush hour. Sam Bowden Akbari, a spokeswoman for the Regional Plan Association, said NICE ridership would surge. "The shuttle bus plan is helpful, but it can’t hope to meet the needs of commuters should the strike take place," Akbari said.

Rideshare is another option. But it tends to be much more expensive than public transportation, and surge pricing, which goes into effect when there are more customers than available vehicles, can drive prices higher. A standard Lyft from Grand Central Station to the Hicksville LIRR stop cost $144 at midday Friday, while a Wait & Save ride cost $129. A standard Uber cost $122.78 for that same trip.

By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.