Long Island Rail Road
37139
221476346
2008-06-24T17:48:07Z
12.1.48.108
/* Terminals */
{{redirect6|LIRR|the roadway in West Yorkshire, England|Leeds Inner Ring Road|the Dungeons & Dragons character|Lirr (Greyhawk)}}
{{infobox SG rail
|railroad_name=Long Island Rail Road
|logo_filename=MTA Long Island Rail Road logo.png
|logo_size=250
|system_map=LIRR map.svg
|map_size=300
|old_gauge=
|marks=LI
|locale=[[Long Island]], [[New York]]
|start_year=1836
|end_year=present<br>([[Pennsylvania Railroad|PRR]]-operated from 1928 to 1949)
|hq_city=[[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]], [[New York]]
}}
The '''Long Island Rail Road''' or '''LIRR''' is a [[commuter rail]] system serving the length of [[Long Island]], [[New York]]. It is the busiest commuter railroad in [[North America]], servicing around 81 million passengers each year, and the oldest US railroad still operating under its original name. There are 124 stations on the LIRR, and more than 700 miles (1100 km) of track<ref name="abouttheLIRR">[http://www.mta.info/lirr/pubs/aboutlirr.htm About the MTA Long Island Rail Road]</ref> on its two lines to the two forks of the island and eight<!--Port Washington, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Hempstead, West Hempstead, Long Beach, Far Rockaway, Atlantic - not counted are separation between Atlantic and Montauk east of Jamaica, Central, Belmont Park, Lower Montauk, split between Penn Station and Long Island City--> major branches.<!--it makes more sense to break it up this way than by the services, which often run one into the other--> Each weekday, the LIRR provides more than 282,410 rides to customers.<ref name="lirrstats">[http://www.mta.info/mta/network.htm#statslirr Long Island Rail Road statistics]</ref> It is [[Government-owned corporation|publicly owned]] by the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|Metropolitan Transportation Authority]], which has styled it '''MTA Long Island Rail Road'''.
In addition to commuter trains, the LIRR runs trains for travelers to eastern Long Island, including the express ''[[Cannonball (LIRR)|Cannonball]]'' to [[the Hamptons]], operated since the 1890s.
[[Freight (rail)|Freight]] service on the system has been operated by the [[New York and Atlantic Railway]] since 1997, including three freight-only branches and [[Bay Ridge Yard]] in [[Bay Ridge, Brooklyn]].
The current LIRR [[logo]] combines the circular MTA logo with the text "Long Island Rail Road", and appears on the sides of trains.
==Terminals==
[[Image:Penn Station LIRR concourse.jpg|thumb|LIRR concourse at [[Penn Station (New York)|Penn Station]]]]
The LIRR has three western ([[New York City]]) terminals.
[[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Pennsylvania Station]], in [[Midtown Manhattan]], is the busiest of the three, serving almost 500 daily trains.<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> It is reached via the [[Amtrak]]-owned [[East River Tunnels]] (the only LIRR-used trackage not owned by the LIRR) from the [[Main Line (LIRR)|Main Line]] in [[Long Island City, NY|Long Island City]]. The [[New York City Subway]]'s [[34th Street–Penn Station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)]] and [[34th Street–Penn Station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)]] stations are located next to the terminal.
[[Flatbush Avenue (LIRR station)|Flatbush Avenue]] station in [[Downtown Brooklyn]] serves most other trains.<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> It is located next to the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[Atlantic Avenue–Pacific Street (New York City Subway)|Atlantic Avenue–Pacific Street]] station complex, providing easy access to [[Lower Manhattan]].
[[Image:LIC Yard-9-21-04.jpg|thumb|left|[[Long Island City (LIRR station)|Long Island City]] station and yard]]
A handful of daily trains run to [[Hunterspoint Avenue (LIRR station)|Hunterspoint Avenue]] or beyond to [[Long Island City (LIRR station)|Long Island City]] on the [[East River]] in [[Long Island City, NY|Long Island City]].<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> From Hunterspoint Avenue, the [[Hunters Point Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)]] subway station can be reached for Midtown Manhattan access.
Access to a third major terminal is currently under construction. In 2013 the LIRR intends to initiate service to [[Grand Central Terminal]] via the [[East Side Access]] project; provision was made for this route on the lower level of the [[63rd Street Tunnel]] under the [[East River]], which currently carries the [[IND 63rd Street Line]] ([[F (New York City Subway)]]) of the [[New York City Subway]] on its upper level. Construction of the East Side Access project will reduce congestion during rush hour times as well as increase the number of trains operating during peak hours. <ref>[[MTA Capital Construction]] - [http://www.mta.info/capconstr/esas/index.html East Side Access]</ref><ref>[[U.S. Department of Transportation]], [http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot11706.htm U.S. Transportation Secretary Signs Record $2.6 Billion Agreement to Fund New Tunnel Network To Give Long Island Commuters Direct Access to Grand Central Station], [[December 18]], [[2006]]</ref>
[[Image:Jamaica station sunset, waiting.jpg|thumb|Platforms at [[Jamaica (LIRR station)|Jamaica]]]]
[[Jamaica (LIRR station)|Jamaica Station]] is a major station and transfer point in [[Jamaica, Queens]], where the railroad's headquarters are located.<ref>[http://www.mta.info/lirr/jobpostings/ MTA LIRR - Employment Opportunities] (includes mailing address)</ref> (The parent MTA is headquartered in Manhattan.) Jamaica encompasses eight tracks and six platforms, plus [[rail yard|yard]] and bypass tracks.{{Fact|date=January 2007}} At Jamaica, passengers can transfer between trains of all services but the [[Port Washington Branch]].<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> Transfer is also made to separate facilities for three different subway lines (at the [[Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Avenue–JFK (Archer Avenue Line)|Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Avenue–JFK]] station), a number of [[bus]] routes, and the [[AirTrain JFK|AirTrain]] automated electric rail system to [[JFK Airport]].<ref>[http://mta.info/lirr/html/ttn/jamaican.htm LIRR: Jamaica]</ref>
==Lines and services==
{{seealso|List of former Long Island Rail Road lines}}
[[Image:LIRR schematic.svg|thumb|300px|Schematic of services]]
All services except the Port Washington Branch pass through [[Jamaica (LIRR station)|Jamaica]]; the trackage west of Jamaica (except to Port Washington) is known as the [[City Terminal Zone]]. The City Terminal Zone includes portions of the Main Line and Atlantic and Montauk Branches, as well as the [[Amtrak]]-owned [[East River Tunnels]] to Penn Station.
The [[Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)|Main Line]] runs from [[Long Island City, NY|Long Island City]] east to [[Greenport, Suffolk County, NY|Greenport]]; trains using the East River Tunnels from [[New York Penn Station]] join the line at [[Sunnyside Yard]]. It is electrified west of [[Ronkonkoma, NY|Ronkonkoma]]; diesel trains continue to Greenport. The services that run along this line are named after the branches that they use; trains beyond [[Hicksville, NY|Hicksville]], where the Port Jefferson Branch splits, are known as [[Ronkonkoma Branch]] and sometimes [[Greenport Branch]] trains. A short unnamed electric branch from [[Queens Village, NY|Queens Village]] serves [[Belmont Park]] on race days.
The [[Montauk Branch]] runs from [[Long Island City, NY|Long Island City]] to [[Montauk, NY|Montauk]], meeting the Main Line at Long Island City and [[Jamaica, NY|Jamaica]]. It is electrified from Jamaica east to [[Babylon, NY|Babylon]]; only diesel trains use the "Lower Montauk" section west of Jamaica or the outer section east of Babylon. Only trains east of Babylon are considered part of the Montauk Branch service; the line from [[Lynbrook, NY|Lynbrook]] to Babylon carries [[Babylon Branch]] trains.
The electrified [[Atlantic Branch]] runs from [[Downtown Brooklyn]] east to [[Jamaica, NY|Jamaica]], where it meets the Main Line, and then heads southeast to end at the Montauk Branch at [[Valley Stream, NY|Valley Stream]]. The part east of Jamaica is considered part of the Far Rockaway Branch service.
The electrified [[Port Washington Branch]] - the only one that doesn't serve Jamaica - branches from the Main Line east of [[Woodside, NY|Woodside]] and heads east and northeast to [[Port Washington, NY|Port Washington]].
[[Image:LIRRtrain.JPG|thumb|left|LIRR [[M-7 (railcar)|M-7]] train moves through a [[grade crossing]]]]
The [[Port Jefferson Branch]] branches from the Main Line at [[Hicksville, NY|Hicksville]], with electric service to [[Huntington, New York|Huntington]] and diesel service to [[Port Jefferson, NY|Port Jefferson]]. Until 1938, it continued east to [[Wading River, New York|Wading River]].<ref name=steel>Ron Ziel and George H. Foster, Steel Rails to the Sunrise, ©1965</ref><!--page 258-->
The electrified [[Hempstead Branch]] branches from the Main Line at [[Floral Park, New York|Floral Park]] and runs east to [[Hempstead (village), New York|Hempstead]].
The [[Oyster Bay Branch]] splits from the Main Line at [[Mineola, NY|Mineola]] and heads north and east to [[Oyster Bay, NY|Oyster Bay]]. The first bit to [[East Williston, New York|East Williston]] is electrified; only diesel trains run along the majority of the line to Oyster Bay.
The diesel [[Central Branch (Long Island Rail Road)|Central Branch]] runs southeast from the Main Line at [[Bethpage, NY|Bethpage]] to the Montauk Branch at [[Babylon, NY|Babylon]], giving an alternate route to the Montauk Branch east of Babylon. The Central Branch used to continue west from Bethpage to near [[Garden City, NY|Garden City]], where it used what is now the Hempstead Branch to the Main Line at [[Floral Park, New York|Floral Park]].
The electrified [[Far Rockaway Branch]] splits from the Atlantic Branch at [[Valley Stream, NY|Valley Stream]] and runs south and southwest to [[Far Rockaway, NY|Far Rockaway]]. It used to continue west along what is now the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[IND Rockaway Line]] to [[Hammels, New York|Hammels]] and [[Rockaway Park, NY|Rockaway Park]].
The electrified [[West Hempstead Branch]] branches from the Babylon Branch at [[Valley Stream, NY|Valley Stream]] and runs northeast to [[West Hempstead, NY|West Hempstead]], originally continuing to junction the Hempstead Branch and Main Line.
The electrified [[Long Beach Branch]] splits from the Far Rockaway Branch at [[Valley Stream, NY|Valley Stream]] but does not curve away until [[Lynbrook, NY|Lynbrook]], where it turns south to end at [[Long Beach, NY|Long Beach]].
In addition to the [[commuter rail|commuter services]], the LIRR operates trains for vacationers, including the premier ''[[Cannonball (LIRR)|Cannonball]]'', to [[the Hamptons]].<ref>[http://www.mta.info/lirr/Hamptons/ MTA LIRR - Hamptons Service]</ref> The LIRR first entered the area with the [[Sag Harbor Branch]] in 1869, and begin to serve [[Montauk, NY|Montauk]] in 1895 with the completion of the [[Montauk Branch]]. By 1895, a special fast train on the Main Line to [[Greenport, NY|Greenport]] was known as the ''Cannon Ball'';<ref>{{cite BDE|title=Latest Long Island News|md=June 5|y=1895|page=7}}</ref> a section split at [[Manorville, NY|Manorville]] to serve Montauk via the [[Manorville Branch]] and Montauk Branch by 1897.<ref>{{cite BDE|title=Fifty-five Miles an Hour|md=June 10|y=1897|page=4}}</ref> In 1949, when the Manorville Branch was abandoned, the ''Cannon Ball'' was shifted to the [[Central Branch (Long Island Rail Road)|Central Branch]].<ref name=steel/><!--page 306--> The ''[[Sunrise Special]]'', a first-class train to Montauk, was added in 1926.<ref>[[New York Times]], [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00D14F73A5E1B7A93CBA8178ED85F428285F9 Long Island Trains on Summer Schedule], [[May 19]], [[1926]], page 31</ref> For a time, [[Pullman]] [[parlor car]]s and [[sleeping car]]s were operated through Penn Station to Montauk from points such as [[Pittsburgh, PA|Pittsburgh]] and [[Washington, DC|Washington]].<ref name=steel/><!--page 303-->
[[Image:LIRR bi-level coaches.jpg|thumb|right|200px|'''C3''' Bi-level coaches at [[grade crossing]] in [[Bethpage]].]]
Other eastern Long Island services included the local "''Scoot''", which operated between the two forks ([[Greenport, NY|Greenport]] on the [[North Fork (Long Island)|North Fork]] to [[Amagansett, NY|Amagansett]] on the [[South Fork (Long Island)|South Fork]]) via the [[Manorville Branch]]. It was eliminated in February 1931 due to the effect of the [[Great Depression]] and competition from the [[automobile]].<ref name=steel/><!--page 173-->
Four non-electrified lines are only used for [[freight (rail)|freight]], now operated by the [[New York and Atlantic Railway]]. The [[Montauk Cutoff Secondary]] is a short connection from the Main Line at [[Sunnyside Yard]] south to the Montauk Branch, separating passenger and freight movements. The [[Bushwick Lead Track]] runs west from the Montauk Branch at [[Maspeth, NY|Maspeth]] to [[Bushwick Terminal]]. The [[Bay Ridge Branch]] runs south and west from the Montauk Branch at [[Fresh Pond, Queens|Fresh Pond]] to [[Bay Ridge, NY|Bay Ridge]]. At Fresh Pond, it meets [[CSX Transportation]]'s [[Fremont Secondary]], which goes over the [[Hell Gate Bridge]] towards [[Upstate New York]] and [[New England]]. The [[Garden City-Mitchel Field Secondary]] is a remnant of the Central Branch from [[Garden City, NY|Garden City]] to [[Mitchel Field]].
==Passenger issues==
The LIRR has a long history of rocky relations with its passengers <ref>[[Newsday]], [http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/nyg-limain0119,0,5268238.story?page=2&coll=ny_news_local_nassau_promo - Thirty Years of Neglect]</ref>, especially daily commuters <ref>[[New York Times]], [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E6D81531F933A05754C0A96F958260 - Commuting in Misery]</ref>. Various commuter advocacy groups have been formed to try to represent those interests, in addition to the state mandated [http://www.pcac.org/councils/lirrcc.htm LIRR Commuters Council] .
One criticism of the LIRR is that the railroad has not improved service to the "east end" of Long Island as the twin forks continue to grow in popularity as a year round tourist and residential destination. Demand is evidenced by flourishing [[Hampton Jitney|bus services]] and the early formative stages of a new [http://www.eastendshuttle.org/ East End Transportation Authority].
Another criticism is that the [[On-time performance|On Time Performance]] (OTP) calculated by the LIRR and other US passenger railroads is meaningless and manipulated to be artificially high. As defined by the LIRR, a train is "on time" if it arrives at a station within 5 minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled time.<ref>[[LIRR]], [http://www.mta.info/mta/ind-perform/month/lirr-otp.htm - LIRR OTP]</ref> The criterion was 4 minutes and 59 seconds until the LIRR changed it because of a bug in their computer systems.<ref>[[LIRR Commuters Campaign]], [http://free.corefusion.net/Free/LIRR/home.nsf/79ac00a06b2683fa852567ca007965b7/76c174526086cf74852573a20058ff37?OpenDocument - LIRR On Time Performance questions]</ref> Critics<ref>[[LIRR Commuters Campaign]], [http://free.corefusion.net/Free/LIRR/home.nsf/Main?OpenView - LIRR Commuters Campaign]</ref> believe the OTP measure does not reflect what commuters experience on a daily basis, and that the 'real' On Time Performance of the LIRR is about 70% to 75% rather than the 92% to 96% that is published. The LIRR publishes the current OTP in a monthly booklet called [http://www.mta.info/lirr/KeepingTrack/ Keeping Track].
A more accurate way to measure delays and OTP has been proposed to the LIRR.<ref>[[LIRR Commuters Campaign]], [http://free.corefusion.net/Free/LIRR/home.nsf/79ac00a06b2683fa852567ca007965b7/cbe5ea8c72c96c73852573c1006d61fa?OpenDocument - New OTP Proposal]</ref> Called the "Passenger Hours Delayed" index it can measure total person-hours of a specific delay. This would be useful in comparing performance of specific days or incidents, day-to-day (or week-to-week) periods, something the current measure cannot do. This 'PHD' index measure is used by some transportation research organizations and would be more meaningful to commuters. [[As of September 2007]] it has not been adopted. The two methods are not mutually exclusive and could be kept and published simultaneously.
2007 ridership was 86.1 million, up 4.9% over 2006. The all time highest ridership was 91.8 million in 1949. [http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=15045]
==Freight service==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=January 2007}}
[[Image:SotyBrooklynRailway0918.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The freight-only [[Bay Ridge Branch]] runs through Brooklyn.]]
The LIRR and other railroads that became part of the system have always had freight service, though this has diminished over the years. The process of shedding freight service accelerated with the acquisition of the railroad by [[New York|New York State]].
In recent years there has been some appreciation of the need for better railroad freight service in [[New York City]] and elsewhere on [[Long Island]]. Both areas are primarily served by trucking for freight haulage, an irony in a region with the most extensive rail transit service in the Americas. Proposals for a [[Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel]] for freight have languished more than a century.
Freight service is now operated on lease by the [[New York and Atlantic Railway]], a short line railroad owned by the [[Anacostia and Pacific Company]]. It has its own equipment and crews, but uses the rail facilities of the LIRR. To the east, freight service operates to the ends of the West Hempstead, Port Jefferson and Montauk branches, and to Southold on the Mainline. On the western end it provides service on the surviving freight-only tracks of the LIRR: the Bay Ridge and Bushwick branches; the nearly freight-only "Lower Montauk"; and to an interchange connection at Fresh Pond Junction in Queens with the [[CSX]], [[Canadian Pacific]], and [[Providence and Worcester]] railroads.
==History==
{{Main|History of the Long Island Rail Road}}
The Long Island Rail Road was consolidated from a number of railroads during the 19th century. The [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] purchased a controlling interest in 1900, as part of a joint plan to provide direct access to [[Manhattan]]. Perennial financial distress did not end in the PRR era, and the LIRR was bought by the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] in 1966.
On [[May 17]] [[2007]], Long Island Rail Road was awarded a Bronze [[E. H. Harriman Award]] for its safety record in 2006.<ref>{{cite press release| url=http://www.aar.org/Index.asp?NCID=4002| title=Railroad Employees Post Safest Year Ever in 2006| publisher=Association of American Railroads| date=[[2007-05-17]]| accessdate=2007-05-18| }}</ref>
==Law enforcement==
The former LIRR Police Department, which was founded in 1863, was absorbed along with the [[Metro-North Railroad]] Police to form the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police]] (MTA Police) in 1998.
===Alcohol restrictions===
Section 1097.5 of the ''Rules and Regulations Governing the Conduct and Safety of the Public and Use of the Long Island Rail Road Company Terminals, Stations and Trains'' prohibits drinking any [[alcoholic beverage]] or possess any opened or unsealed container of alcoholic beverage, except in premises or areas allowing the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages, such as on trains or platforms or in bars or restaurants.<ref>[http://www.mta.info/lirr/pubs/Rules/Rules.htm MTA LIRR - Rules and Regulations]</ref>
"In an effort to maintain orderly travel for our customers attending the [[St. Patrick’s Day]] Parade" as claimed by LIRR, LIRR has banned alcoholic beverage on St. Patrick’s Day.<ref>[[Newsday]], [http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lilirr0313,0,5777704.story LIRR bans alcohol on St. Patrick's Day], [[March 12]], [[2007]]</ref> In 2007, such a ban to confiscate opened and even unopened beverages and fine their possessors about 50 [[USD]] created controversies. [[New York State Senate|New York State Senator]] [[Martin Golden]] proposed that the MTA lift what he dubbed a discriminatory ban.<ref>[[The New York Sun]], [http://www.nysun.com/article/50305 Ban of Liquor on St. Patrick's Riles Railroad Commuters], [[March 13]], [[2007]]</ref>
LIRR has also banned alcohol on [[New Year's Eve]].<ref>See the references from Newsday.com and The New York Sun above.</ref>
==See also==
*[[Long Island Rail Road fleet]]
*[[List of presidents and trustees of the Long Island Rail Road]]
*[[List of Long Island Rail Road stations]]
*[[Long Island Rail Road massacre]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}http://mta.info/mta/ind-perform/month/lirr-otp.htm
==External links==
{{commonscat|Long Island Rail Road}}
*[http://www.mta.info/lirr/ MTA Long Island Rail Road]
*[http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LIRRCommuters/ LIRR Commuters Group]
*[http://www.eastendshuttle.org/ Five Towns Rural Transit]
*[http://www.nyctransitforums.com/ NYC Transit Forums - Discussion Board]
*[http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/ttn/lirrtt.htm Long Island Rail Road Schedule (official)]
*[http://thenexttrain.com/at/lirr/ Long Island Rail Road Schedule (alternative)]
{{Long Island Rail Road}}
{{Greater New York rail}}
{{MTA (New York)}}
[[Category:Long Island Rail Road| ]]
[[Category:1832 establishments]]
[[Category:United States regional rail systems]]
[[de:Long Island Rail Road]]
[[fr:Long Island Railroad]]
[[nl:Long Island Rail Road]]
[[ja:ロングアイランド鉄道]]
[[sv:Long Island Rail Road]]
[[zh:長島鐵路]]