Ronkonkoma station

Last updated

Ronkonkoma
LI MacArthur Airport Pictograms-nps-airport.svg
Ronkonkoma station - May 2015.jpg
Ronkonkoma station in May 2015.
General information
Coordinates 40°48′29″N73°06′21″W / 40.808088°N 73.1059°W / 40.808088; -73.1059
Owned by Long Island Rail Road
Line(s) Main Line
Distance48.5 mi (78.1 km) from Long Island City [1]
Platforms2 side platforms
1 island platform
Spanish solution
Tracks2
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg Suffolk County Transit : 51, 52A (all times); 52B (weekdays only)
Colonial Transportation to Long Island MacArthur Airport
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
ArchitectRichard Henry Behr
Other information
Fare zone10
History
Opened1883
Rebuilt1986–1997
ElectrifiedJanuary 18, 1988
750 V (DC) third rail
Previous namesLake Ronkonkoma
Passengers
200617,278 [2]
Services
Preceding station MTA NYC logo.svg Long Island Rail Road Following station
Central Islip Ronkonkoma Branch
Electric service
Terminus
Terminus Ronkonkoma Branch
Ronkonkoma Branch#Greenport
Medford
toward Ronkonkoma
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road
Following station
Central Islip Main Line Holbrook
toward Greenport
Proposed services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Deer Park Northeast Regional Terminus
Location
Ronkonkoma station
Clock tower with pedestrian bridge to the parking garage on Lakeland Street (also known as Railroad Avenue North) Ronkonkoma Station Clock Tower-Parking Garage.jpg
Clock tower with pedestrian bridge to the parking garage on Lakeland Street (also known as Railroad Avenue North)

Ronkonkoma (signed as Ronkonkoma LI MacArthur Airport on station signage) is a major railroad station and transportation hub along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road in Ronkonkoma, New York. The station is the eastern terminus of the Ronkonkoma Branch and the western terminus of the Greenport Branch, and it also serves the adjacent Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Contents

The station is located on Railroad Avenue North across from the intersection of Hawkins Avenue, and has parking facilities and other amenities that extend beyond the central location. Free parking is available in the lots adjacent to the tracks on the north and south side. One parking garage north of the station was built in 1996 on a former freight spur. [3] [4] The station has a total of approximately 6,100 parking spaces. [5]

History

Ronkonkoma Station was originally built as Lake Ronkonkoma station in 1883 as a replacement for the 1843-built Lakeland station designed to serve both Lakeland and Ronkonkoma, New York, as well as the 1853-built Hermanville station, designed for a former community along the south side of the tracks. [6]

Lake Road and Lakeland stations

Lakeland was originally built in 1843 as Lake Road station. It was named for and located on Lake Road (now Pond Road), a street that once ran from Oakdale to the east side of Lake Ronkonkoma itself. By 1850 it was moved to the Dr. E. F. Peck General Store on the northwest corner of what is today Ocean Avenue and Lakeland Street. A freight house existed along the tracks close to Pine Avenue. Edgar Fenn Peck owned land as far south as Sayville, and in 1851 sold the store and the land to a developer named Charles Wood, who turned his land into a development named Lakeland Farms, which today includes land in Oakdale, Bohemia, and what is now Ronkonkoma. [7] The original Lake Road station operated simultaneously with the one at the general store on Ocean Avenue, and at some point was renamed "Lake station," until eventually being phased out. No record of the original station's existence can be found after 1857.

Hermanville station

Hermanville or Hermannville was another station stop along the Greenport Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, located east of the former Lake Road Station. It first appeared on an 1850 map of the Long Island Rail Road. [8] The station had one side platform, and two tracks. An 1852 advertisement for Hermanville in a few books mention the Long Island Rail Road. [9] [10] Hermannville also made an appearance on the 1855 Colton map. [11] On the Map of The Village of Hermannville, Town of Islip, Suffolk County, Long Island, Hemannville station [12] is shown as being at the intersection of the Main Line and Herman Avenue, [13] [14] which today is part of the Ronkonkoma Yard.

After Lakeland

Lake Ronkonkoma station replaced Lakeland station in 1883 and was designed to serve both Lakeland and Ronkonkoma, New York. At some point, the word "Lake" was dropped from the station name. The station house burned on February 7, 1933 [15] and a temporary rectangular one-story building with a gabled roof was used until September 1937, when the second Ronkonkoma station was completed. Throughout much of the 20th century, it also served as a sizable freight hub for central Suffolk County.

Since December 28, 1987, it has been the east end of the Main Line electrification [16] but stations east of Ronkonkoma have been modified for future electrification. The 1937 station was used for storage until it was razed in 1994 when part of the parking lot was extended westward. The current station was designed by architect Richard Henry Behr. [17] Ronkonkoma Yard is also located east of the station, in close proximity to the former Holbrook station, which was torn down in 1962. [18] Ronkonkoma station has also served commuters from the former Holtsville station since its closure in March 1998.

Station layout

This station is set up using the Spanish solution with three high-level platforms, each 12 cars long. Platform B, an island platform, facilitates a cross-platform interchange when a Ronkonkoma Branch train and a Greenport train arrive at the same time on opposite tracks.

MMezzanineCrossover between platforms and station building
P
Platform level
Platform A, side platform Wheelchair symbol.svg
Track 1      Ronkonkoma Branch toward Grand Central Madison or Penn Station (Central Islip)
      Ronkonkoma Branch limited service toward Greenport (Medford)
      Ronkonkoma Branch termination track →
Platform B, island platform Wheelchair symbol.svg
Track 2      Ronkonkoma Branch toward Grand Central Madison or Penn Station (Central Islip)
      Ronkonkoma Branch limited service toward Greenport (Medford)
      Ronkonkoma Branch termination track →
Platform C, side platform Wheelchair symbol.svg
Ground levelStation building, parking, buses, taxis

Future

In February 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration approved the Town of Islip's plan to erect a new airport terminal on the north side of MacArthur Airport, adjacent to the south side of the Ronkonkoma LIRR station; the project is to be constructed as part of the Midway Crossing project. [19] [20] The $3.3 billion project will directly connect the Ronkonkoma LIRR station with the new airport terminal via a pedestrian walkway, creating a direct LIRR connection to the airport without needing to transfer to buses or taxis. [19] [20]

Mid-Suffolk Yard

The Mid-Suffolk Yard (also known as the Ronkonkoma Yard) is a 23-track train storage yard, located just to the east of the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station. [21] As this is the eastern end of the electrified portion of the Main Line, the yard stores the LIRR's electric multiple units that are used on the Ronkonkoma Branch. [21]

In preparation for the LIRR's East Side Access expansion to Grand Central Terminal, the MTA added 11 new tracks to the yard, for a total of 23 tracks. [21] The expansion used space already owned by the MTA located immediately to the south of the existing rail yard and north of MacArthur Airport. The increase in storage space allowed the MTA to increase peak-hour service to Manhattan. The project was budgeted for $128.0 million. [22] [23] [24] Locations in Deer Park, Central Islip, and Yaphank were also considered for the construction of the yard. The Deer Park option was dismissed as it would have impacted several grade crossings, duplicated employee facilities and as it would not have benefited riders east of the station. The Central Islip site was dismissed as it would have been located in Connetquot River State Park. The Yaphank option was rejected because of the high cost of electrification and the requirement that stations between Ronkonkoma and Yaphank receive upgrades. [25]

The construction work was initially expected to be finished by late 2018. [24] Construction was to start in September 2017, with completion being pushed back to March 2020. [26] A construction award was finally made in December 2017, and the completion date was pushed back to late 2020. [27] :32 The yard was completed in November 2020. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Island Rail Road</span> Commuter rail system on Long Island, New York

The Long Island Rail Road, often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Island. The railroad currently operates a public commuter rail service, with its freight operations contracted to the New York and Atlantic Railway. With an average weekday ridership of 354,800 passengers in 2016, it is the busiest commuter railroad in North America. It is also one of the world's few commuter systems that runs 24/7 year-round. It is publicly owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which refers to it as MTA Long Island Rail Road. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 75,186,900, or about 276,800 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Washington station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Nassau County, New York

Port Washington is the terminus of the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch in Port Washington, New York. The station is located on Main Street, between Haven Avenue and South Bayles Avenue, just west of Port Washington Boulevard, and is 19.9 miles (32 km) from Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan. A pedestrian bridge exists between the platforms, and is in line with Franklin Avenue, ending at Haven Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Jefferson Branch</span> Long Island Rail Road branch

The Port Jefferson Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch splits from the Main Line just east of Hicksville and runs northeast and east to Port Jefferson. Several stations on the Main Line west of Hicksville are served primarily by trains bound to/from the Port Jefferson branch, so LIRR maps and schedules for the public include that part of the Main Line in the "Port Jefferson Branch" service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronkonkoma Branch</span> Long Island Rail Road branch

The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, the "Ronkonkoma Branch" includes trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksville to Ronkonkoma, and between Ronkonkoma and the Main Line's eastern terminus at Greenport. The section of the Main Line east of Ronkonkoma is not electrified and is referred to as the Greenport Branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babylon station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Suffolk County, New York

The Babylon station is a station on the Long Island Rail Road in the village of Babylon, New York at Railroad Avenue west of Deer Park Avenue. It is on the Montauk Branch and is the eastern terminus of the Babylon Branch service. To the west is the junction with the Central Branch, which heads northwest to join the Main Line at Bethpage Interlocking southeast of the Bethpage station. Babylon station is elevated with two island platforms and is wheelchair accessible through elevator access. The electrified portion of the Montauk Branch ends east of the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)</span> Long Island Rail Road branch

The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins as a two-track line at Long Island City station in Long Island City, Queens, and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles (153 km) to Greenport station in Greenport, Suffolk County. At Harold Interlocking approximately one mile east of Long Island City, the tracks from the East River Tunnels and 63rd Street Tunnel into Manhattan intersect with the Main Line, which most trains use rather than using the Long Island City station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medford station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Suffolk County, New York

Medford is a station in the hamlet of Medford, New York on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. Medford is located on New York State Route 112 between Peconic Avenue and Long Island Avenue. Access to the station is available from a narrow curving roadway leading off Route 112. This roadway used to connected with the Ohio Avenue intersection until Ohio Avenue was closed north of Peconic Avenue in 2007. It is also accessible from the north end of Oregon Avenue, although the Medford Fire Department periodically closes the Oregon Avenue access road for drills or other exercises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Islip station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Suffolk County, New York

Central Islip is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is at the southwest corner of Suffolk County Road 100 and Lowell Avenue in Central Islip, New York. Short-term parking is also available on Suffolk CR 100 across from the intersections between Pineville and Hawthorne Avenues.

The Long Island Rail Road is a railroad owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the U.S. state of New York. It is the oldest United States railroad still operating under its original name and charter. It consolidated several other companies in the late 19th century. The Pennsylvania Railroad owned the Long Island Rail Road for the majority of the 20th century and sold it to the State in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens Village station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Queens, New York

The Queens Village station is a commuter rail station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line, located between 218th Street and Springfield Boulevard, in the Queens Village neighborhood of Queens, New York City. It has two side platforms along the four-track line, and is served primarily by Hempstead Branch trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yaphank station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Suffolk County, New York

Yaphank is a station in the hamlet of Yaphank, New York on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located on Park Street near Suffolk County Road 21. It is also accessible from streets in and around Suffolk County. The distance between Yaphank and the next station, Riverhead, is the longest distance between stations in the LIRR at 14.7 miles (23.7 km). Government buildings are located on the north side of the tracks at the bottom of the Yaphank Avenue overpass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brentwood station (LIRR)</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Suffolk County, New York

Brentwood is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is officially located at Suffolk County Road 100 and Brentwood Road in Brentwood, New York. However, it has parking facilities and other amenities that are extended far beyond its given location. The actual station is located across the tracks from the dead end of Eighth Street near Leroy Avenue. The parking lot entrance is on Suffolk Avenue 12 mile (0.80 km) east of Brentwood Road/Washington Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollis station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Queens, New York

Hollis is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line at the intersection of 193rd Street and Woodhull Avenue in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens, New York City. With a few exceptions, only trains on the Hempstead Branch stop here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyandanch station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Suffolk County, New York

Wyandanch is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located on Straight Path and Long Island Avenue, off Acorn Avenue in Wyandanch, New York. All parking near the station is free, and maintained either by Suffolk County or the Town of Babylon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinelawn station</span> Long Island Rail Road station in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York

Pinelawn is a railroad station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located on Long Island Avenue, just east of the Wellwood Avenue grade crossing in East Farmingdale, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic station</span> Former Long Island Rail Road station

Republic was a station stop along the Ronkonkoma Branch which served employees of the Fairchild Engine & Airplane Manufacturing Company and the nearby Republic Airport from 1940 to the late 1980s. As part of a double-tracking project on the line, the station may be reopened.

East Yaphank is a proposed station in the hamlet of East Yaphank, New York on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. The station would serve Brookhaven National Laboratory and would replace the existing Yaphank station.

References

  1. Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. III. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  2. Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
  3. Ronkonkoma Milepost 48-49; Emery map - October 1957
  4. View Wye North (1978 Photo by Steve Lynch)
  5. "Ronkonkoma Parking Lot Renovation Completed; Almost 300 New Spots Now Available" (Press release). Long Island Rail Road. March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  6. "HERMANNVILLE". arrts-arrchives.com.
  7. Lake Road station, Hermanville station, Lake station, Lakeland station, Lakeland Farms, and Wood Lawn, Long Island (Arrt's Arrchive)
  8. Hermannville Map
  9. The Cultivator by Luther Tucker Advertisement for Hermannvile mentioning Long Island Railroad
  10. The Genesee Farmer advertisement for Hermanville
  11. 1855 Hermannville Map
  12. Hermanville Station
  13. Hermannville Map
  14. Hermannville description
  15. "Railroad Station Burns". The Times Union. Brooklyn, New York. February 7, 1933. p. 3. Retrieved May 3, 2021 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  16. "LIRR Ronkonkoma Electrification 1987". trainsarefun.com.
  17. "Richard Henry Behr Architect P.C." rhbpc.com.
  18. Ronkonkoma/Holbrook Milepost 49-50; Emery map (TrainsAreFun.com)
  19. 1 2 Desmond, Sam (February 1, 2024). "$3.3 billion airport project clears FAA approval". The Suffolk County News. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  20. 1 2 Ledda, Brianne (January 7, 2024). "Midway Crossing development project clears a hurdle with FAA approval". Newsday. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  21. 1 2 3 "Mid-Suffolk Yard". mta.info.
  22. "MTA Capital Program Oversight Meeting" (PDF). mta.info . Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2013. p. 8. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  23. "MTA Long Island Rail Road Committee Meeting" (PDF). mta.info . Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 2017. p. 35. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  24. 1 2 "Mid-Suffolk Yard Schedule". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  25. "Mid-Suffolk Yard Alternatives Analysis" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  26. "L60601YN New Mid Suffolk Electric Yard". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  27. "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 20, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  28. "Completed Construction on Mid-Suffolk Yard Helps Increase Future Capacity". MTA. Retrieved August 12, 2023.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Ronkonkoma (LIRR station) at Wikimedia Commons