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Long Island City station facts for kids

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Long Island City
LIC Yard-9-21-04.jpg
Looking west at the station (to the right of the fence) and yard (to the left); the brick building to the right is ventilation for the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
Location Borden Avenue and Second Street
Hunters Point and Long Island City, Queens, New York
Coordinates 40°44′29″N 73°57′25″W / 40.74139°N 73.95694°W / 40.74139; -73.95694
Owned by Long Island Rail Road
Line(s) Main Line
Montauk Branch
Platforms 3 island platforms (two employees only)
Tracks 14
Connections New York City Subway:
"7" train "7" express train at Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue
Local Transit New York City Bus: B32, B62 (at 11th Street and Jackson Avenue)
MTA Bus: Q103
BSicon BOOT.svg NYC Ferry East River, Lower East Side, and Astoria routes (at Center Boulevard and Borden Avenue)
Construction
Parking Yes
Other information
Fare zone 1
History
Opened June 26, 1854
Closed December 18, 1902
Rebuilt 1861, 1870, 1875, 1878, 1879, April 1881, July 1891, April 26, 1903
Electrified June 16, 1910
750 V (DC) third rail (Tracks 9-12 only)
Previous names Hunter's Point
Traffic
Passengers (2012—2014) 101
Rank 110 of 125
Services
Preceding station MTA NYC logo.svg LIRR Following station
Terminus Port Jefferson Branch
limited service
Hunterspoint Avenue
towards Huntington or Port Jefferson
Oyster Bay Branch
limited service
Hunterspoint Avenue
towards Oyster Bay
Montauk Branch
limited service
Hunterspoint Avenue
towards Patchogue, Speonk or Montauk
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road
Following station
Terminus Main Line Hunterspoint Avenue
toward Greenport
Montauk Division Penny Bridge
toward Montauk

Long Island City is a rail terminal of the Long Island Rail Road in the Hunters Point and Long Island City neighborhoods of Queens, New York City. 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 consists of one passenger platform located at ground level and is wheelchair accessible.

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. Until November 2012, some LIRR trains also ran via the Lower Montauk Branch to and from this 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. A track spur split from the Montauk Branch east of the Long Island City station, running along the south border of the station before curving north to the North Shore Freight Branch running between 48th and 49th Avenues, where there were connections to car floats at what is today the Gantry Plaza State Park. These car floats carried freight trains to and from Manhattan and New Jersey until the mid-20th century. Today, ferry service is operated by NYC Ferry.

The station house was torn down again in 1939 for construction of the Queens–Midtown Tunnel, but continued to operate as an active station throughout the tunnel's construction and opening.

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 located within the secure area of the rail yard.

All tracks without platforms are used for train storage. The southernmost six tracks are powered by third rail, while the remaining are only used by diesel-powered trains.

P
Platform level
Street level Exit/entrance, ticket machine, access to ferry, buses, and subway
Track 0 Storage track
Track 1 Storage track
Track 2      Port Jefferson Branch toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (Hunterspoint Avenue)
     Oyster Bay Branch toward Oyster Bay (Hunterspoint Avenue)
     Montauk Branch toward Patchogue, Speonk or Montauk (Hunterspoint Avenue)
Platform A, island platform
Track 3      Port Jefferson Branch toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (Hunterspoint Avenue)
     Oyster Bay Branch toward Oyster Bay (Hunterspoint Avenue)
     Montauk Branch toward Patchogue, Speonk or Montauk (Hunterspoint Avenue)
Track 4 Storage track
Track 5 Storage track
Track 6 Storage track
Platform B, no regular service
Track 7 Storage track
Track 8 Storage track
Platform C, no regular service
Track 9 Storage track
Track 10 Storage track
Track 11 Storage track
Track 12 Storage track

Gallery

  • Long Island City – LIRR
  • Long Island City LIRR timetable
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