Westbridge (LIRR station)

Westbridge
Location	Jamaica Avenue Richmond Hill, Queens
Coordinates	40°42′5.8″N 73°49′19.2″W / 40.701611°N 73.822000°W / 40.701611; -73.822000Coordinates: 40°42′5.8″N 73°49′19.2″W / 40.701611°N 73.822000°W / 40.701611; -73.822000
Owned by	LIRR
Line(s)	Main Line (City Terminal Zone)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	1916
Closed	1939
Rebuilt	No; Station abandoned
Previous names	High Bridge
Services
None Preceding station   LIRR   Following station Kew Gardens station Main Line (current and former locations) Jamaica station

Westbridge was a railroad station located on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It was located on the main line south of Jamaica Avenue. The station opened as a pair of sheltered sheds on June 28, 1916 and a ticket office at street level.^[1] The station's original name was High Bridge. Westbridge was out of service on January 1, 1939 and was discontinued as a station stop. However, Westbridge last appeared in an employee timetable on September 18, 1938.^[2] In 1916 there was a complaint by the Westbridge Civic Association to have one train in each direction to stop at Westbridge as they do at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens.^[3]There are still remnants of this station; at the south end crossing of Jamaica Avenue you can see where the platforms used to be, the concrete footstones are still there and can be seen along the westbound side. Westbridge used to operate as a freight station after its closing. There is currently some old wood which lays alongside the outer edge of the roadbed which is most likely from the Wooden shelter that used to be on the platform. Some current maps and atlases still have Westbridge listed as a freight only station to this day; quite to the contrary that freight is no longer used here.^[4] While this station was open, one could see BMT trains on the BMT Jamaica Line overhead from the main line tracks when the trains ran to 168th Street.

References