Babylon Branch

Babylon Branch

Babylon Branch train #108 departs the Lynbrook Station, bound for Babylon.
Overview
Type Commuter rail
System Long Island Rail Road
Status Operational
Locale Nassau, and Suffolk County, New York, USA
Termini Lynbrook
Babylon
Stations 14
Services
Operation
Opened 1867 (as part of the Southern Railroad of Long Island)
Owner Long Island Rail Road
Operator(s) Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification 750 V (DC) third rail

The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon; in other words, the Babylon Branch is a rail service rather than an actual track. The electrification of the Montauk Branch ends east of the Babylon station, so the Babylon Branch is mostly served by electric trains.

The west end of the "Babylon Branch" is the junction between the West Hempstead Branch and Montauk Branch (Valley Interlocking); St Albans, the only stop on the Montauk Branch west of Valley Stream, is shown in the West Hempstead Branch timetable. Trains that continue past the east end of the Babylon Branch are known as Montauk Branch trains; several of these use the Central Branch between Belmont Junction west of the Babylon station and a junction at Beth Interlocking on the Main Line southeast of the Bethpage Station, running to New York City via the Main Line.[1][2] On weekends, Babylon Branch trains typically stop at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens in the eastbound direction as opposed to other Main Line trains that serve other branches.[2]

The Babylon Branch portion of the Montauk Branch is completely grade separated with bridges over all intersecting roadways. Route 231 in between Babylon and the electrified yard, and the Meadowbrook Parkway in between Merrick and Freeport go over the tracks, with the tracks going under those roadways.

History

The South Side Railroad of Long Island in the 1860s built what was to become the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The Babylon Branch as a separate operational entity began as the electrification of the Montauk Branch between Valley Stream and Babylon on May 20, 1925. Eventually, this would also include the former "Springfield Branch" which the Montauk Branch was relocated to northeast of Springfield Junction. The tracks were elevated from ground-level between 1950 and 1980. Elevation of the line sparked grass-roots efforts to preserve the previous versions of Wantagh and Lindendurst Stations, the former of which resulted in the creation of the Wantagh Railroad Museum. The last station to be elevated on the branch was Massapequa Park on December 13, 1980.[3]

LIRR Babylon Station

Since the 1990s, many station houses along the branch have been rebuilt, including the entire platforms at Seaford from July 2008 to July 2009, and Massapequa from late 2013 to mid 2015. Additionally, from July 2007 to April 10, 2011 the signals, switches, and gantries were replaced between the Wantagh Interlocking and Amityville Station, with color light signals replacing the old PRR-style position-light signals installed during the elevation of that section in 1973, and work is underway is well into the closing stages of a pocket track East of the Massapequa station that will run in between the two running tracks, this will be completed by Spring 2016. It was announced that immediately after Massapequa's platform was rebuilt that starting in August or September 2015 that Wantagh's platform would be demolished and rebuilt with new signage, escalators, stairwells, and for the first time an elevator will be installed to meet with ADA standards, all of that will replace the original structure which has been in use since the elevated station opened in 1968, the project will be completed by mid 2017. Plans for the future include the modernization of Babylon Interlocking, viaduct track replacement at certain stations, replacement of platforms, escalators, and elevators at Babylon. There is also the possibility of Massapequa Park, Amityville, Copiague, and Lindenhurst receiving elevators to make them ADA accessible.

Stations

Zone Station Miles (km)
from NYP[4]
Date opened Date closed Connections / notes
3 Jamaica 10.8 (17.4) 1836 LIRR; Atlantic, Belmont Park, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Long Beach,
Montauk, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma, and West Hempstead Branches
NYC Subway: (at Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – JFK Airport)
NYCT Bus: Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q30, Q31, Q43, Q44, Q54, Q56
MTA Bus: Q6, Q8, Q9, Q25, Q34, Q40, Q41, Q60, Q65
NICE Bus: n4
AirTrain JFK: Jamaica Station Route
Atlantic Branch diverges
Union Hall Street c. 1890 1976 Originally New York Avenue
Canal Street 1890[5] 1899
Hillside c. 1909
May 15, 1911
1911
1966
Main Line diverges at Rockaway Junction
St. Albans 13.6 (21.9) 1898[6] NYCT Bus: Q4
Springfield Gardens 1870s 1979 Originally Springfield
Atlantic Branch converges at Springfield Junction
Rosedale 15.8 (25.4) 1870 Served by Atlantic Branch trains
Originally Foster's Meadow
Queens / Nassau county line
4
Valley Stream 17.9 (28.8) 1869[7] Served by Atlantic Branch trains
NICE Bus: n1, n2, n8
Lynbrook 19.5 (31.4) 1867[7] LIRR: Long Beach Branch
NICE Bus: n4, n25, n31, n32, n36
Originally Pearsall's Corners, then Pearsall's
7 Rockville Centre 21.1 (34.0) 1867 NICE Bus: n15, n16
Baldwin 23.0 (37.0) 1867 NICE Bus: n35
Originally Baldwinsville,[8] then Baldwins
Freeport 24.5 (39.4) 1867 NICE Bus: n4, n19, n36, n40, n41, n43, n88 (summer only)
Merrick 25.9 (41.7) 1867
Bellmore 27.4 (44.1) 1869 NICE Bus: n45
Wantagh 27.8 (44.7) 1867 Originally Ridgewood
Seaford 29.5 (47.5) 1899 NICE Bus: n54
Massapequa 30.5 (49.1) 1867 NICE Bus: n54, n55
Originally South Oyster Bay
Massapequa Park 30.8 (49.6) 1933 NICE Bus: n54, n55
Unqua 1880 1881
Nassau / Suffolk county line
9 Amityville 33.1 (53.3) 1868 NICE Bus: n54
Suffolk County Transit: 1A, S1, S20, S33
Copiague 34.2 (55.0) 1902 Suffolk County Transit: 1B, S20, S31
Belmont Junction 1875 1876
Lindenhurst 35.5 (57.1) 1867 Suffolk County Transit: 1B, S20, S35
Originally Wellwood, then Breslau
Central Branch converges
Babylon 38.4 (61.8) 1867[7] LIRR: Montauk Branch
NICE Bus: n72
Suffolk County Transit: S20, S23, S25, S27, S29, S40, S42, S47 (summer only)
Originally Seaside[7]
Montauk Branch trains transfer between diesel and electric
10 For continuing service to Montauk, see Montauk Branch

References

External links

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