Floral Park station

Last updated

Floral Park
FloralParkStation.jpg
Looking east at Floral Park, from Platform C, prior to the construction of the Main Line's third track.
General information
LocationTulip Avenue & Atlantic Avenue
Floral Park, NY
Coordinates 40°43′29″N73°42′23″W / 40.724622°N 73.706398°W / 40.724622; -73.706398
Owned by Long Island Rail Road
Line(s) Main Line
Hempstead Branch
Distance14.9 mi (24.0 km) from Long Island City [1]
Platforms2 side platforms
1 island platform
Tracks4 (2 on the Hempstead Branch, and 3 on the Main Line, 1 track shared by both the Hempstead Branch and Main Line)
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg New York City Bus : Q36 (at Jericho Turnpike, Little Neck Parkway, 256th and 257th Streets)
Aiga bus trans.svg Nassau Inter-County Express : n24 (at Jericho Turnpike)
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes; 3 Elevators, 1 for each platform
Other information
Fare zone4
History
Opened1878
Rebuilt1909, 1960
ElectrifiedMay 26, 1908 [2]
750 V (DC) third rail
Previous namesStewart Junction (18781879)
Hinsdale (18791887)
East Hinsdale (18871890)
Passengers
20062,991 [3]
Services
Preceding station MTA NYC logo.svg Long Island Rail Road Following station
Bellerose Hempstead Branch Stewart Manor
toward Hempstead
Elmont-UBS Arena Port Jefferson Branch New Hyde Park
      Oyster Bay Branch does not stop here
      Ronkonkoma Branch does not stop here
      Montauk Branch does not stop here
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road
Following station
Bellerose Main Line New Hyde Park
toward Greenport
Terminus Hempstead Branch Stewart Manor
toward Hempstead
Location
Floral Park station

Floral Park is a Long Island Rail Road train station in Floral Park, New York, at Tulip and Atlantic Avenues, on the Main Line and Hempstead Branch just west of their split. Most service is provided by trains on the Hempstead Branch and the Port Jefferson Branch.

Contents

History

The first Floral Park station was built between October and November 1878 as "Stewart Junction," for the junction between the LIRR Main Line and the Central Railroad of Long Island built by Alexander Turney Stewart. Five years earlier the CRRLI had bridged the LIRR, and the station served as a connection between both lines. Connecting tracks were available at the southwest corner of the bridge at the station, and on the northwest corner of the bridge west of the station. It was renamed "Hinsdale" in 1879 with the closing of the CRRLI depot of the same name along the Creedmoor Branch, then renamed "East Hinsdale" in 1887. That same year, the station gained a control tower known as "Tower #47." Apparently due to the presence of the florist John Lewis Childs, the station was renamed "Floral Park" by 1890. [4] Tower #47 was replaced with the "FK Tower" in 1904, the station itself was razed in 1909, and a second station was rebuilt and relocated the same year in July. [5] In 1924, the LIRR replaced the FK Tower with the Park Tower, and rebuilt it again in 1946. [6]

The third and current elevated structure was built in 1960 as part of a grade-separation project, as the second one was razed on October 20 of that same year. [7]

The ticket office at this station was staffed until August 19, 2009, when it was closed during cost-cutting measures across the MTA. [8]

As part of the LIRR third track project, the Floral Park station was renovated starting in spring 2019 and three vehicular crossings east of the station were rebuilt starting that year. [9] The station was rebuilt and received elevators, making it ADA-accessible as of July 2021. [10] [11] [12] On August 15, 2022, the track designations at Floral Park were changed. [13]

With the opening of Grand Central Madison in 2023, significant service changes occurred at Floral Park. [14] Generally, Hempstead Branch trains provide a one seat ride to Grand Central while Main Line trains provide a one seat ride to Penn Station; previously, almost all Main Line trains bypassed the station. Direct service to Atlantic Terminal is limited to one peak Hempstead Branch train in each direction. [14]

Station layout

This station has three high-level platforms serving four tracks. Platform A is eight cars long, while Platforms B and C are 10 cars long. Main Line trains (the Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay, Ronkonkoma, and Branches) use the three northern tracks while Hempstead Branch trains use the two southern tracks.

P
Platform level
Platform A, side platform
Track 3      Port Jefferson Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Long Island City, or Penn Station (Elmont-UBS Arena or Jamaica)
             Oyster Bay Branch, Montauk Branch, Ronkonkoma Branch do not stop here
Track 1                 Oyster Bay Branch, Montauk Branch, Ronkonkoma Branch, Port Jefferson Branch do not stop here →
Platform B, island platform
Track 2             Oyster Bay Branch, Montauk Branch, Ronkonkoma Branch do not stop here →
      Port Jefferson Branch toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (New Hyde Park)

      Hempstead Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Bellerose)

Track 4      Hempstead Branch toward Hempstead (Stewart Manor)
Platform C, side platform
GGround levelExit/entrance, parking, buses, taxis

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References

  1. Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. III. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  2. "Hurrah at Hempstead Over the Third Rail". The Brooklyn Times Union. May 20, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved September 21, 2021 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
  4. "The Stewart Line: East Hinsdale - Floral Park". Arrt's Arrchives.
  5. "LIRR Station History" (PDF). TrainsAreFun.com.
  6. "Floral Park Station Photographic History". Arrt's Arrchives.
  7. "Compact NYSDOT Highway Record Plans: Beginning 1900". State of New York. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  8. jlouis (September 4, 2009). "Floral Park Commuters Deal with LIRR Station Ticket Window Closure". Floral Park Dispatch. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021.
  9. "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting June 2018" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 18, 2018. p. 27. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  10. Brooks, Khristopher J. (April 29, 2018). "Villagers get look at third track-related work". Newsday. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  11. "Floral Park Station Enhancement". A Modern LI. March 13, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  12. "MTA Announces Opening of Three New Elevators at LIRR Floral Park Station". MTA.info.
  13. "First section of LIRR's Third Track expansion debuts during morning commute". News 12 Long Island. August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  14. 1 2 "LIRR service to Grand Central: Changes to your branch". MTA. Retrieved January 19, 2024.