Long Island City is a rail terminal of the Long Island Rail Road in Long Island City, Queens. Located within the City Terminal Zone at Borden Avenue and Second Street, it is the westernmost LIRR station in Queens and the end of both the Main Line and Montauk Branch. The station is wheelchair accessible.
Video Long Island City station
Service
The station is served only during weekday rush hours in the peak direction by diesel trains from the Oyster Bay, Montauk, or Port Jefferson Branches via the Main Line. Trains used to operate here via a connection to the Lower Montauk Branch but since November 2012, no LIRR trains operate over that branch.
Maps Long Island City station
History
This station was built on June 26, 1854, and rebuilt seven times during the 19th Century. On December 18, 1902, both the two-story station building and office building owned by the LIRR burned down. The rebuilt, and fire-proof, station opened on April 26, 1903. Electric service to the station began on June 16, 1910.
Before the East River Tunnels were built, this station served as the terminus for Manhattan-bound passengers from Long Island, who took ferries to the East Side of Manhattan, specifically to the East 34th Street Ferry Landing in Murray Hill, and the James Slip Ferry Port in what is today part of the Two Bridges section of Lower Manhattan. The passenger ferry service was abandoned on March 3, 1925, although freight was carried by car floats through what is today the Gantry Plaza State Park to and from Manhattan until the middle 20th century. Today, ferry service is operated by NY Waterway. The station house was torn down again in 1939 for construction of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, but still continued to operate as an active station, as it does today.
Station layout
This station has 13 tracks and three concrete high-level island platforms. The northernmost platform, Platform A, is two cars long and is accessible from Borden Avenue just west of Fifth Street. Platforms B and C are used by employees only, and are only accessible from the secured area of the rail yard.
All tracks without platforms are used for train storage. The southernmost four tracks are powered by third rail, while the remaining are only used by diesel-powered trains.
Gallery
References
- Harrison, Richard J. (1981). Long Island Rail Road Memories: The Making of a Steam Locomotive Engineer. New York: Quadrant Press. p. 53. ISBN 0-915276-36-4.
External links
- Official LIRR station information page for Long Island City
- Station timetable for Long Island City
- Long Island City Station (The SubwayNut)
- Station from Google Maps Street View
- Northern platform (Tracks 2 & 3) from Google Maps Street View
- Entrance to Northern platform (Tracks 2 & 3) from Google Maps Street View
Source of article : Wikipedia
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