Valley Stream station

Last updated

Valley Stream
Long Island Rail Road (Valley Stream station).jpg
The station in 2023, as seen from the parking lot.
General information
LocationFranklin Avenue & Sunrise Highway
Valley Stream, New York
Coordinates 40°39′41″N73°42′17″W / 40.661483°N 73.704679°W / 40.661483; -73.704679
Owned by Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)
Distance
[1]
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2 (Atlantic Branch), 2 (Montauk Branch)
Connections Nassau Inter-County Express : n1, Elmont Flexi
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone4 [2]
History
OpenedJune 1869 (SSRRLI) [3]
Rebuilt1933
ElectrifiedDecember 11, 1905
750 V (DC) third rail
Passengers
2012-1414,444 [4]
Rank 12
Services
Preceding station MTA NYC logo.svg Long Island Rail Road Following station
Rosedale Far Rockaway Branch Gibson
toward Far Rockaway
Long Beach Branch Lynbrook
toward Long Beach
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road
Following station
Rosedale Montauk Division Lynbrook
toward Montauk
Rosedale Atlantic Division Terminus
Terminus Far Rockaway Branch Gibson
toward Hammels
West Hempstead Branch Westwood
toward Mineola
Location
Valley Stream station

Valley Stream is a train station located on the Atlantic Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, in the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream, in Nassau County, New York.

Contents

Description

Valley Stream is the westernmost station on the Atlantic Branch in Nassau County. The station is located at Franklin Avenue and Sunrise Highway, west of Rockaway Avenue. It is wheelchair-accessible with an elevator from street level; parking facilities and taxis are available.

Valley Stream is served by Far Rockaway Branch and Long Beach Branch as of February 27, 2023. West Hempstead Branch trains previously stopped at this station. [5] The tracks of the Montauk Branch pass through the station north of the Atlantic Branch tracks. Directly east of the station, the Atlantic Branch splits into the Long Beach Branch, which continues east to Lynbrook and Long Beach, and the Far Rockaway Branch, which turns south toward Far Rockaway. The West Hempstead Branch, meanwhile, diverges north of the Montauk Branch.

History

The first Valley Stream station was built by the South Side Railroad of Long Island on October 28, 1867. The station house itself opened in July 1869 with the opening of the Far Rockaway Branch, and was built as a Swiss chalet style station house inside the legs of an old wye. It also served customers of the Southern Hempstead Branch which was built by the short-lived New York and Hempstead Plains Railroad between 1871 and 1900. Along with the rest of the SSRRLI, the station was acquired by the Long Island Rail Road in 1889. In 1893 the station began to serve trains along the West Hempstead Branch. When Nassau County separated from Queens in 1899, Valley Stream station became the first station in Nassau County along the Montauk Branch. The station was electrified with the rest of the Far Rockaway Branch in 1905. [6] Electrification of Long Beach Branch was completed in 1910, [6] and the following year, the Long Beach Branch became an extension of the Atlantic Branch as two new tracks were built between Valley Stream and Lynbrook. [7]

In 1933, the original station was razed as part of a grade crossing elimination project along the Atlantic and Montauk branches. Prior to this, a temporary station was relocated on a shoo-fly north of the former station on August 10, 1932, then moved to another one south of the former station on August 31 of the same year. The third elevated center-island structure that exists today was opened north of the former location on February 7, 1933 – and the wye was removed as part of the reconstruction. [8]

In the late 2010s, the station received upgrades and new features as part of the MTA's Enhanced Station Initiative – including Wi-Fi, digital display kiosks, LED lighting, station artwork, charging stations, and other new waiting room and platform features. [9]

Following the opening of Grand Central Madison in early 2023 and the resulting service changes, it was announced that West Hempstead Branch trains would no longer stop at Valley Stream, while the Far Rockaway and Long Beach Branches would continue serving it – a pattern which remains today. [5]

Clear Stream station

Shortly after electrical service of the Far Rockaway Branch was established, the LIRR created a new station west of Valley Stream at Clear Stream Road (now Avenue) called Clear Stream. It opened in 1906 and was used only for rush hour service. The station was eliminated after 1910. [10]

Station layout

An eight-car-long island platform is located between the two Atlantic Branch tracks, 1 and 2. The two bypass tracks located to the north are part of the Montauk Branch. [11]

P
Platform level
Montauk
Branch
             Montauk Branch, Babylon Branch, West Hempstead Branch do not stop here
             Montauk Branch, Babylon Branch, West Hempstead Branch do not stop here →
Track 1         Far Rockaway Branch, Long Beach Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Rosedale or Jamaica)
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right Wheelchair symbol.svg
Track 2      Far Rockaway Branch toward Far Rockaway (Gibson)
      Long Beach Branch toward Long Beach (Lynbrook)
GGround levelEntrance/exit, parking, buses

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">Atlantic Branch</span> Long Island Rail Road branch

The Atlantic Branch is an electrified rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It is the only LIRR line with revenue passenger service in the borough of Brooklyn.

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

The Far Rockaway Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station. From Valley Stream, the line heads south and southwest through southwestern Nassau County, ending at Far Rockaway in Queens, thus reentering New York City. LIRR maps and schedules indicate that the Far Rockaway Branch service continues west along the Atlantic Branch to Jamaica. This two-track branch provides all day service in both directions to Grand Central Madison and Penn Station, both in Midtown Manhattan.

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

Woodmere is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Far Rockaway Branch in Woodmere, in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. The station is located at Woodmere Boulevard and Cedar Lane, between Central Avenue and West Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Terminal Zone</span> Collection of Long Island Rail Road branches

The City Terminal Zone is the set of Long Island Rail Road lines within New York City west of Jamaica station, except the Port Washington Branch.

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

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.

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

The Montauk Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The line runs the length of Long Island, 115 miles (185 km) from Long Island City to Montauk. However, in LIRR maps and schedules for public use, the term Montauk Branch refers to the line east of Babylon; service from Jamaica to Babylon is covered by separate Babylon Branch schedules, while the line west of Jamaica is currently unused for passenger service. A select number of Montauk Branch trains operate via the Main Line during peak hours.

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

The Long Beach Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station, where it merges with the Far Rockaway Branch to continue west as the Atlantic Branch. East from there the Long Beach Branch parallels the Montauk Branch to Lynbrook station, where it turns south toward Long Beach station. Trains operating on the Long Beach Branch continue west of Valley Stream via the Atlantic Branch to Jamaica station, with most continuing on to Grand Central or Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. In 2018, the branch recorded an annual ridership of 4,849,085 based on ticket sales, down 1% from 2017.

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

The West Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). It runs between Valley Stream and West Hempstead, in Nassau County, New York, United States.

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

Lynbrook is a Long Island Rail Road commuter train station in Lynbrook, New York. The station is located at the intersection of Sunrise Highway and Peninsula Boulevard and is located on the railroad's Montauk Branch and Long Beach Branch lines and is served by Long Beach Branch trains and select weekday Babylon Branch trains.

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

West Hempstead is the terminal station at the eastern end of the Long Island Rail Road's West Hempstead Branch. It is located at Hempstead Avenue and Hempstead Gardens Drive in West Hempstead, New York – one of three stations located within the community.

The South Side Railroad of Long Island was a railroad company in the U.S. state of New York. Chartered in 1860 and first opened in 1867 as a competitor to the Long Island Rail Road, it was reorganized in 1874 as the Southern Railroad of Long Island and leased in 1876 to the LIRR. After a reorganization as the Brooklyn and Montauk Railroad in 1879 it was merged in 1889.

The Southern Hempstead Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road from Valley Stream to Hempstead. It was established in 1870 and abandoned in May 1879, and is not the same route as the current West Hempstead Branch.

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">Rockaway Junction station</span> Former New York railroad site

Rockaway Junction was a junction and station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line and Montauk Branch in Hillside, Queens, New York City, United States. It was located in the vicinity where the Montauk Branch now crosses over the two eastbound passenger tracks and the two freight tracks of the Main Line, just west of the Hillside Facility, although at the time of the station's existence it was at ground level along with the junction itself.

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

The Long Beach station is an intermodal center and the terminus of the Long Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located at Park Place and Park Avenue in the City of Long Beach, New York, serving as the city's major transportation hub.

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

East Rockaway is a train station serving the Long Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located at Atlantic and Ocean Avenues in East Rockaway, New York.

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

Bellerose station is a commuter rail station along the Main Line and Hempstead Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, located in the Incorporated Villages of Bellerose and Floral Park, in Nassau County, New York. The station is at Commonwealth Boulevard and Superior Road, 0.25 miles (0.40 km) south of Jericho Turnpike.

Central Railroad of Long Island was built on Long Island, New York, by Alexander Turney Stewart, who was also the founder of Garden City. The railroad was established in 1871, then merged with the Flushing and North Side Railroad in 1874 to form the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad. It was finally acquired by the Long Island Rail Road in 1876 and divided into separate branches. Despite its short existence, the CRRLI had a major impact on railroading and development on Long Island.

References

  1. Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). pp. IV, VI. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  2. "New Fares — Effective April 21, 2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority . Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  3. Vincent F. Seyfried, The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I., 1961
  4. "2012-2014 LIRR Origin and Destination Report, Volume I: Travel Behavior Among All LIRR Passengers" (PDF). Abt SRBI. August 23, 2016. pp. 204–207.
  5. 1 2 "Changes to LIRR Far Rockaway Branch service in 2023". MTA. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Development of the Island's Transportation". The New York Times. September 4, 1910. p. 72. Retrieved June 4, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Building at Valley Stream". The New York Times. June 4, 1911. p. 75. Retrieved June 4, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "NYSDOT Highway Record Plans: Beginning 1900 | State of New York". data.ny.gov. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  9. Taylor, Daine; Ciccone, Nick (January 18, 2017). "State to undertake $5M revamp of Valley Stream LIRR station". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  10. [The Long Island Rail Road, a Comprehensive History - Part 6: The Golden Age 1881-1900, by Vincent F. Seyfried (1975; Page 267)]
  11. ROBERT F. FREE, General Superintendent - Transportation (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF).