Wantagh (LIRR station)

Wantagh

South Track at Wantagh Station as an eastbound M7 train arrives
Station statistics
Address Wantagh Avenue & Railroad Avenue
Wantagh, New York.
Lines
Connections Nassau Inter-County Express: n73, n74
Yellow Cab
Platforms 1 island platform
Tracks 2
Parking Yes
Bicycle facilities Yes
Other information
Opened 1867 (SSRRLI)
Rebuilt 1885, 1966-1967
Electrified May 20, 1925
750V (DC) third rail
Owned by MTA
Fare zone 7
Formerly Ridgewood (1867-1891)
Traffic
Passengers (2006) 5,781[1]
Services
Preceding station   LIRR   Following station
Babylon Branch
toward Babylon

Wantagh is a station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located on Wantagh Avenue and Railroad Avenue near NY 27 (Sunrise Highway) in Wantagh, New York. It is commonly used as a terminal and origin for some Babylon branch trains during the rush hours.

Contents

History

Wantagh station was originally named Ridgewood station and was built as a South Side Railroad of Long Island depot between 1867 and 1875. The station was replaced in 1885 and renamed "Wantagh" in 1891. Like so many stations along the Babylon-Montauk Branch, it was one of many that were elevated throughout Nassau and Western Suffolk Counties during the 1950s and '60s, in this case between 1966 and 1967. The former station was restored as part of the Wantagh Museum in 1969 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[2][3]

It is rumored as part of the LIRR's 2008–2013 capital plan that like its sister station Seaford, they will demolish and rebuild the platform, along with replacing escalators, staircases, and lighting, and adding an elevator.

Station layout

This station has one twelve-car-long high-level island platform between the two tracks, serving trains in both directions.

Service

Wantagh receives service from trains on the Babylon Branch with inbound service towards New York City and outbound service towards Babylon. In the inbound direction, trains to Penn Station in Manhattan depart at 15-minute intervals during peak hours and half-hour intervals during off-peak hours.[4] Local trains take about 53 minutes to arrive at Penn Station at an average of 31.5 mph (50.7 km/h) while express trains take only 48 minutes at 34.8 mph (56.0 km/h).[4] Connections to the other inbound terminals, Atlantic Terminal and Long Island City, are available at Jamaica.[4]

Outbound trains depart in the same manner (with peak hours being in the evening).[5] Local trains take 21 minutes to arrive at Babylon at an average of 30.3 mph (48.8 km/h). Connections to the Montauk Branch are available at Babylon.[5]

References

  1. ^ Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
  2. ^ Wantagh Museum
  3. ^ Wantagh Railroad Complex (Building - #83001716)
  4. ^ a b c Babylon Branch timetable MTA Retrieved 2009-07-12
  5. ^ a b Eastbound weekday Babylon Branch timetable MTA Retrieved 2009-07-12

External links