Long Island Rail Road

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Long Island Rail Road
Reporting marks	LI
Locale	Long Island, New York
Dates of operation	1836 – present (PRR-operated from 1928 to 1949)
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Jamaica, New York

The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR (often referred to as the "L-I-double-R") is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York, United States. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, servicing around 81 million passengers each year, and the oldest US railroad still operating under its original name. There are 124 stations on the LIRR, and more than 700 miles of track^[1] on its two lines to the two forks of the island and eight major branches. It is publicly owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has styled it MTA Long Island Rail Road.

In addition to commuter trains, the LIRR runs trains for travelers to eastern Long Island, including the famous express Cannonball to the Hamptons, operated since the 1890s.

Freight service on the system has been operated by the New York and Atlantic Railway since 1997, including three freight-only branches and Bay Ridge Yard in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

The current LIRR logo combines the circular MTA logo with the text "Long Island Rail Road", and appears on the sides of trains.

Contents 1 Terminals 2 Lines and services 3 Freight service 4 History 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Terminals

The LIRR has three western (New York City) terminals.

Pennsylvania Station, in Midtown Manhattan, is the busiest of the three, serving almost 500 daily round trips.^[1] It is reached via the Amtrak-owned East River Tunnels (the only LIRR-used trackage not owned by the LIRR) from the Main Line in Long Island City. The New York City Subway's 34th Street–Penn Station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) and 34th Street–Penn Station (IND Eighth Avenue Line) stations are located next to the terminal.

Flatbush Avenue station in Downtown Brooklyn serves most other trains.^[1] It is located next to the New York City Subway's Atlantic Avenue–Pacific Street station complex, providing easy access to Lower Manhattan.

A handful of daily trains run to Hunterspoint Avenue or beyond to Long Island City on the East River in Long Island City.^[1] From Hunterspoint Avenue, the New York City Subway's Hunters Point Avenue station can be reached for Midtown Manhattan access.

Access to a third major terminal is currently under construction. In 2013 the LIRR intends to initiate service to Grand Central Terminal via the East Side Access project; provision was made for this route on the lower level of the 63rd Street Tunnel under the East River, which currently carries the IND 63rd Street Line of the New York City Subway on its upper level.^[2][3]

Jamaica is a major station and transfer point in Jamaica, Queens, where the railroad's headquarters are located.^[4] (The parent MTA is headquartered in Manhattan.) Jamaica encompasses eight tracks and six platforms, plus yard and bypass tracks.^{[citation needed]} At Jamaica, passengers can transfer between trains of all services but the Port Washington Branch.^[1] Transfer is also made to separate facilities for two different subway lines (at the Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Avenue–JFK station), a number of bus routes, and the AirTrain automated electric rail system to JFK Airport.^[5]

[edit] Lines and services

See also: List of former Long Island Rail Road lines

All services except the Port Washington Branch pass through Jamaica; the trackage west of Jamaica (except to Port Washington) is known as the City Terminal Zone. The City Terminal Zone includes portions of the Main Line and Atlantic and Montauk Branches, as well as the Amtrak-owned East River Tunnels to Penn Station.

The Main Line runs from Long Island City east to Greenport; trains using the East River Tunnels from New York Penn Station join the line at Sunnyside Yard. It is electrified west of Ronkonkoma; diesel trains continue to Greenport. The services that run along this line are named after the branches that they use; trains beyond Hicksville, where the Port Jefferson Branch splits, are known as Ronkonkoma Branch and sometimes Greenport Branch trains. A short unnamed electric branch from Queens Village serves Belmont Park on race days.

The Montauk Branch runs from Long Island City to Montauk, meeting the Main Line at Long Island City and Jamaica. It is electrified from Jamaica east to Babylon; only diesel trains use the "Lower Montauk" section west of Jamaica or the outer section east of Babylon. Only trains east of Babylon are considered part of the Montauk Branch service; the line from Valley Stream (where the West Hempstead Branch splits) to Babylon carries Babylon Branch trains.

The electrified Atlantic Branch runs from Downtown Brooklyn east to Jamaica, where it meets the Main Line, and then heads southeast to end at the Montauk Branch at Valley Stream. The part east of Jamaica is considered part of the Far Rockaway Branch service.

The electrified Port Washington Branch branches from the Main Line east of Woodside and heads east and northeast to Port Washington.

The Port Jefferson Branch branches from the Main Line at Hicksville, with electric service to Huntington and diesel service to Port Jefferson. Until 1938, it continued east to Wading River.^[6]

The electrified Hempstead Branch branches from the Main Line at Floral Park and runs east to Hempstead.

The Oyster Bay Branch splits from the Main Line at Mineola and heads north and east to Oyster Bay. The first bit to East Williston is electrified; only diesel trains run along the majority of the line to Oyster Bay.

The diesel Central Branch runs southeast from the Main Line at Bethpage to the Montauk Branch at Babylon, giving an alternate route to the Montauk Branch east of Babylon. The Central Branch used to continue west from Bethpage to near Garden City, where it used what is now the Hempstead Branch to the Main Line at Floral Park.

The electified Far Rockaway Branch splits from the Atlantic Branch at Valley Stream and runs south and southwest to Far Rockaway. It used to continue west along what is now the New York City Subway's IND Rockaway Line to Hammels and Rockaway Park.

The electrified West Hempstead Branch branches from the Montauk Branch at Valley Stream and runs northeast to West Hempstead, originally continuing to junction the Hempstead Branch and Main Line.

The electrified Long Beach Branch splits from the Montauk Branch at Valley Stream but does not curve away until Lynbrook, where it turns south to end at Long Beach.

In addition to the commuter services, the LIRR operates trains for vacationers, including the premier Cannonball, to the Hamptons.^[7] The LIRR first entered the area with the Sag Harbor Branch in 1869, and begin to serve Montauk in 1895 with the completion of the Montauk Branch. By 1895, a special fast train on the Main Line to Greenport was known as the Cannon Ball;^[8] a section split at Manorville to serve Montauk via the Manorville Branch and Montauk Branch by 1897.^[9] In 1949, when the Manorville Branch was abandoned, the Cannon Ball was shifted to the Central Branch.^[6] The Sunrise Special, a first-class train to Montauk, was added in 1926.^[10] For a time, Pullman parlor cars and sleeping cars were operated through Penn Station to Montauk from points such as Pittsburgh and Washington.^[6]

Other eastern Long Island services included the local "Scoot", which operated between the two forks (Greenport on the North Fork to Amagansett on the South Fork) via the Manorville Branch. It was eliminated in February 1931 due to the effect of the Great Depression and competition from the automobile.^[6]

Four non-electrified lines are only used for freight, now operated by the New York and Atlantic Railway. The Montauk Cutoff Secondary is a short connection from the Main Line at Sunnyside Yard south to the Montauk Branch, separating passenger and freight movements. The Bushwick Lead Track runs west from the Montauk Branch at Maspeth to Bushwick Terminal. The Bay Ridge Branch runs south and west from the Montauk Branch at Fresh Pond to Bay Ridge. At Fresh Pond, it meets CSX Transportation's Fremont Secondary, which goes over the Hell Gate Bridge towards Upstate New York and New England. The Garden City-Mitchel Field Secondary is a remnant of the Central Branch from Garden City to Mitchel Field.

[edit] Freight service

This section does not cite its references or sources. Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations. (help, get involved!) Any unsourced material that has been or is likely to be challenged may be removed at any time. This article has been tagged since January 2007.

The LIRR and other railroads that became part of the system have always had freight service, though this has diminished over the years. The process of shedding freight service accelerated with the acquisition of the railroad by New York State.

In recent years there has been some appreciation of the need for better railroad freight service in New York City and elsewhere on Long Island. Both areas are primarily served by trucking for freight haulage, an irony in a region with the most extensive rail transit service in the Americas. Proposals for a Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel for freight have laguished more than a century.

Freight service is now operated on lease by the New York and Atlantic Railway, a short line railroad owned by the Anacostia and Pacific Company. It has its own equipment and crews, but uses the rail facilities of the LIRR. To the east, freight service operates to the ends of the West Hempstead, Port Jefferson and Montauk branches, and to Southold on the Mainline. On the western end it provides service on the surviving freight-only tracks of the LIRR: the Bay Ridge and Bushwick branches; the nearly freight-only "Lower Montauk"; and to an interchange connection at Fresh Pond Junction in Queens with the CSX, Canadian Pacific, and Providence and Worcester railroads.

[edit] History

Main article: History of the Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road was consolidated from a number of railroads during the 19th century. The Pennsylvania Railroad purchased a controlling interest in 1900, as part of a joint plan to provide direct access to Manhattan. Perennial financial distress did not end in the PRR era, and the LIRR was bought by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1966.

[edit] See also

• Long Island Rail Road fleet
• List of presidents and trustees of the Long Island Rail Road
• List of Long Island Rail Road stations
• Long Island Rail Road massacre

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• MTA Long Island Rail Road

v • d • e Long Island Rail Road
Routes	Main Line • Atlantic • Montauk • (Central)
Branch services	Babylon • Belmont Park • City Terminal Zone • Far Rockaway • Hempstead • Long Beach • Montauk • Oyster Bay • Port Jefferson • Port Washington • Ronkonkoma • West Hempstead
Former and freight lines	Atlantic Avenue rapid transit • Bay Ridge • Bethpage • Bushwick • Central Extension • Creedmoor • Evergreen • Manhattan Beach • Manorville • Rockaway Beach • Sag Harbor • West Brighton Beach • Whitestone
Other	East Side Access • Fleet • Former lines • History • Stations

v • d • e Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Bus	NYC Transit • MaBSTOA • Long Island Bus • MTA Bus
Heavy rail	New York City Subway • Staten Island Railway
Commuter rail	Long Island Rail Road • Metro-North Railroad
Roads	MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Law enforcement	MTA Police
Fleet	New York City Subway • New York City Bus, MaBSTOA, and MTA Bus
Other	Fares • MetroCard • New York City Transit Authority • NYC Subway History