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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Montauk Division

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 and Central Branch during peak hours.

Route description

Lower Montauk

Lower Montauk Branch (defunct Richmond Hill station) in 2019

The westernmost portion of the Montauk Branch in Queens, known as the "Lower Montauk," runs between the Long Island City and Jamaica stations, mostly at street level with grade crossings. East of the Long Island City station, the abandoned Montauk Cutoff merges with the branch, after both cross Dutch Kills. The Lower Montauk Branch had nine stations, four of which were closed by 1940. The remaining five stations (Richmond Hill, Glendale, Fresh Pond, Haberman, and Penny Bridge) were closed on March 13, 1998, due to low ridership and incompatibility with then-new C3 bi-level coach cars that can only use high platforms (only Richmond Hill had an actual platform; the other four stations' platforms were just pavement strips beside the tracks). After these stations closed, the LIRR continued to use the Lower Montauk to operate non-stop trains between Jamaica and Long Island City rather than divert them to the Main Line; there were only two such trains at the time of the 1998 station closures, one westbound in the morning, and one eastbound in the evening. These two trains were re-routed north to Hunterspoint Avenue in 2012, effectively ceasing passenger train service on the Lower Montauk. Soon after, full control of the Lower Montauk was transferred to the New York and Atlantic Railway for freight operations.

The New York City Department of Transportation has periodically floated proposals to repurpose the Lower Montauk Branch for rapid transit operations. In 1984, the Department studied an option to connect the branch to the New York City Subway through a proposed connection to the IND 63rd Street Line in Long Island City. This proposal was unpopular in the communities surrounding the branch. In 2017, the Department studied a plan to operate light rail service on the Lower Montauk Branch.

After Penn Station opened in 1910, the Lower Montauk became primarily a freight route, and when the present Jamaica station opened in 1913, the two Lower Montauk tracks continued past the south side of the station, south of Hall tower and the south Union Hall Street platform and on to Holban Yard. Those two tracks now carry trains to/from the Hillside Facility that has replaced Holban Yard; they can also carry nonstop Main Line trains past Jamaica station. East from Jamaica the Montauk Branch runs between the Main Line tracks (with two usually westward Main Line tracks north of it and two eastward tracks south of it) until just west of Hillside Facility. At 40°42′21″N 73°47′04″W / 40.70585°N 73.7845°W / 40.70585; -73.7845 the Montauk Branch rises to cross above the other tracks and turns southeast. At 40°40′01″N 73°44′49″W / 40.667°N 73.747°W / 40.667; -73.747 it swings parallel to the Atlantic Branch between its Laurelton and Rosedale stations. The Montauk Branch east of Jamaica is 0.7 mile longer than the Atlantic.

Babylon Branch

The portion between Jamaica and Babylon stations has been electrified since 1925, and electric trains to Babylon are often identified as a separate service, the Babylon Branch. It is grade-separated on embankments or elevated structures. From Babylon east to Montauk, diesel-electric or dual-mode electric/diesel-electric locomotives haul trains of passenger coaches.

The electrified portion of the Montauk Branch ends in the village of Babylon. Some of the diesel trains on the Montauk branch begin or end their runs at Babylon station, connecting with electric trains there. Other Montauk diesel trains operate into New York City, to Jamaica station; Hunterspoint Avenue or Long Island City stations in Long Island City; or Penn Station.

The Montauk Branch, along with the parallel Atlantic Branch, spawns three subsidiary branches: the West Hempstead Branch, Far Rockaway Branch, and Long Beach Branch.

East of Babylon

The terminal stations in diesel territory, east of Babylon, are Patchogue, Speonk, Southampton, and Montauk; South Fork Commuter Connection shuttles may short-turn at Hampton Bays and Amagansett. The Montauk Branch is double-tracked from just east of Long Island City (where there is a short segment of single track) all the way through Babylon, becoming single track at Y Interlocking east of the Sayville station. Some Montauk Branch trains operate west to NYC via the diesel-only Central Branch, joining the Main Line east of Bethpage station. Only a few actually run via the Montauk Branch west of Babylon, under normal conditions on the Main Line.

The Montauk Line has heavy ridership and frequent service as far as Patchogue station and commuter service as far as Speonk station. In the summer, with travelers going out to The Hamptons, Fire Island and other beaches, additional service is operated to the far eastern terminal at Montauk, such as the Cannonball, a Friday afternoon train departing from Penn Station (originally Hunterspoint Avenue) and running non-stop to Westhampton station in Westhampton.

The Montauk Branch was home to the last tower in North America that regularly used "hooping" train operations: PD Tower, in Patchogue. "Hooping" is the transfer of instructions to the engineer and conductor by attaching the folded orders to the "hoop", a rod several feet long with a loop at the end that is passed from the ground to a moving train by catching the loop on one's arm. The last train to get hooped at PD was train 2730 on May 6, 2006.

History

Currently, the Montauk Branch intersects with the Bushwick Branch, Bay Ridge Branch, West Hempstead Branch, and Central Branch, as well as the Main Line at Long Island City and Jamaica and the Atlantic Branch at Jamaica and Valley Stream; the Far Rockaway Branch and Long Beach Branch are connected via the Atlantic Branch at Valley Stream. In the past, junctions existed with the Rockaway Beach Branch (a quarter mile east of Woodhaven Boulevard), Southern Hempstead Branch (Valley Stream to Hempstead), Manorville Branch (Eastport to Manorville on the Main Line), and Sag Harbor Branch (Bridgehampton to Sag Harbor). In early times, the Scoot ran frequently between Greenport on the North Fork, "around the horn" on the Manorville Branch, and east to Sag Harbor. In their day, both of those villages were very busy, bustling ports.

Formation and early days: 1860s to 1925

The South Side Railroad of Long Island built the line from Bushwick, Brooklyn to Patchogue in the 1860s, and completed the new line to Long Island City in 1870. With the reorganization of the South Side as the Southern Railroad of Long Island in 1874 and its lease by the LIRR in 1876, this line became the Southern Railroad Division, Southern Railroad of Long Island Division, or simply Southern Division. Effective Sunday, June 25, 1876, all Southern Division passenger trains were rerouted to use the LIRR main line from Berlin Junction (west of Jamaica) to Rockaway Junction, and the LIRR's Rockaway Branch to Springfield Junction, where it crossed the Southern. This change resulted in the closure of the Southern's Berlin, Beaver Street (Jamaica), Locust Avenue, and Springfield stations. The old line between Jamaica and Springfield, which became freight-only, was renamed the Old Southern Road. The Southern was reorganized as the Brooklyn and Montauk Railroad in 1879, and on March 14, 1880, the name was changed from the Southern Division to the Montauk Division. Thus the old South Side Railroad, except between Jamaica and Springfield Junction, was now the Montauk Division.

The LIRR opened the Sag Harbor Branch, including the present Montauk Branch from Eastport to Bridgehampton, on June 8, 1870. On July 27, 1881, after the South Side became part of the LIRR, its line – then the Montauk Division – was extended east to the Sag Harbor Branch at Eastport. The Sag Harbor Branch east of Eastport became part of the Montauk Division, and the old line from Manor (Manorville) to Eastport became the Manor Branch. An extension to Montauk, splitting off the old Sag Harbor Branch at Bridgehampton, opened to Amagansett on June 1, 1895 and to Montauk by September, and the line between Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor reverted to the old Sag Harbor Branch name.

Babylon electrification: 1925 to present

Electrification of the Montauk Division from Jamaica to Babylon was completed on May 20, 1925, and normal operation began the next day. The Central Extension between Bethpage and Babylon was reopened for freight trains that had run via the Montauk Division.

The Montauk station was initially near the center of a sleepy fishing village at the north end of Fort Pond (where Austin Corbin built a pier in his unsuccessful effort to have trans-Atlantic ships dock there.) The Great Hurricane of 1938 devastated the terminus area and tore up sections of the roadbed. The population center then moved two miles (3 km) to the south, away from the station.

In 1953, amid bankruptcy, the LIRR sought to abandon the Montauk branch east of Patchogue and operate bus service in its place. It cited low, predominantly non-commuter ridership and proximity to the Main Line, and potential savings of $450,000 per year. The Town of East Hampton protested this proposed closure, highlighting the potential for increased vehicular traffic due to lack of alternative means of travel, and the line ultimately remained open.

1998 saw the closure of three lightly used stations: Center Moriches, Quogue, and Southampton College. Bellport was also due to be closed at the same time, but was kept open and upgraded following community opposition. Southampton College was temporarily reinstated for the 2004 and 2018 U.S. Open tournaments at the nearby Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, along with a steel walkway over Montauk Highway. At the conclusion of the tournament, the walkway was dismantled and the temporary platform was removed.

On April 16, 2019, New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele announced that funding to design improvements on the Montauk Branch would likely be included in the 2019–2020 state budget. The funding would be used by the LIRR to design three passing sidings to be installed on the line in single-track territory between Speonk and Montauk. The installation of passing sidings would allow for increased service on the South Fork Commuter Connection. MTA President and CEO Pat Foye said that improvements to the Montauk Branch were identified in the LIRR's request for the MTA's Twenty-Year Needs Assessment.

Stations

West Hempstead Branch trains split off at VALLEY interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station. Babylon Branch trains terminate at Babylon, while Montauk Branch trains continue beyond. Many non-electric Montauk Branch trains that run express between Jamaica and Babylon run via the Main Line and Central Branch, with limited service to Mineola and Hicksville stations.

Zone Location Services Station Miles (km) from
LICvia
Lower Montauk
Opened Closed Connections and notes
WH BB MT
1 Long Island City, Queens Long Island City Disabled access
(rush hours only)
1854 Long Island Rail Road: Oyster Bay and Port Jefferson branches
NYC Subway: 7 and <7>​ (at Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue)
MTA Bus: Q103
NYC Ferry East River Ferry
† Served by five peak round trip trains, one of which is Montauk train
Penny Bridge 1854 1998
Laurel Hill 1890 1900
Maspeth, Queens Haberman 1892 1998
Maspeth 1895 c. 1924
Fresh Pond 1869 1998 Originally named Bushwick Junction
Glendale, Queens Glendale 1869 1998
Ridgewood 1883 1924
Richmond Hill, Queens Richmond Hill 1868 1998 Originally named Clarenceville
Shops c. 1900 1913 Part of the Morris Park Facility
Dunton 1869
1876
1876
1939
Originally named Van Wyck Avenue, then Berlin
3 Jamaica, Queens Jamaica Disabled access 9.0 (14.5) 1836 Long Island Rail Road: Atlantic, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Long Beach, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma branches
New York City Subway: E​, ​J, and ​Z (at Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport)
New York City Bus: Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q30, Q31, Q43, Q44 SBS, Q54, Q56
MTA Bus: Q6, Q8, Q9, Q25, Q34, Q40, Q41, Q60, Q65
Nassau Inter-County Express: n4
AirTrain JFK: Jamaica Station Route
Union Hall Street c. 1890 1976 Originally named New York Avenue
Canal Street 1890 1899
Hillside 1890 1966
St. Albans, Queens St. Albans 11.8 (19.0) 1898 New York City Bus: Q4
Originally named Locust Avenue
Springfield Gardens, Queens Springfield Gardens 1870s 1979 Originally named Springfield
4 Valley Stream Valley Stream Disabled access 16.1 (25.9) 1869 Platform on Atlantic Branch tracks, though switches allow trains on the Montauk Branch to stop as needed.
Nassau Inter-County Express: n1, Elmont Flexi
Lynbrook Lynbrook Disabled access 17.7 (28.5) 1867 Long Island Rail Road: Long Beach Branch
Nassau Inter-County Express: n4, n25, n31, n31x, n32
Originally named Pearsall's Corners, then Pearsall's
7 Rockville Centre Rockville Centre Disabled access 19.3 (31.1) 1867 Nassau Inter-County Express: n15, n16, n31x, Mercy Medical Shuttle
Baldwin Baldwin Disabled access 21.2 (34.1) 1867 Nassau Inter-County Express: n35
Originally named Baldwinsville, then Baldwins
Freeport Freeport Disabled access 22.7 (36.5) 1867 Nassau Inter-County Express: n4, n19, n19x, n40/41, n43, n88x
Merrick Merrick Disabled access 24.1 (38.8) 1867
Bellmore Bellmore Disabled access 25.6 (41.2) 1869
Wantagh Wantagh 25.9 (41.7) 1867 Originally named Ridgewood
Seaford Seaford Disabled access 27.7 (44.6) 1899 Nassau Inter-County Express: n54
Massapequa Massapequa Disabled access 28.7 (46.2) 1867 Nassau Inter-County Express: n54, n55, n80
Originally named South Oyster Bay
Massapequa Park Massapequa Park 29.5 (47.5) 1933 Nassau Inter-County Express: n54, n55, n80
East Massapequa Unqua 1880 1881
9 Amityville Amityville Disabled access 30.6 (49.2) 1868 Nassau Inter-County Express: n54, n55, n71
Suffolk County Transit: 1, 2, 4, 10
Copiague Copiague Disabled access 32.4 (52.1) 1902
Belmont Junction 1875 1876
Lindenhurst Lindenhurst Disabled access 33.7 (54.2) 1867 Suffolk County Transit: 10
Originally named Wellwood, then Breslau
Babylon Babylon Disabled access 36.6 (58.9) 1867 Suffolk County Transit: 2, 3, 5, 10, 15
Originally named Seaside
Terminus of electrification
10 Bay Shore Bay Shore Disabled access 40.7 (65.5) 1868 Suffolk County Transit: 2, 7, 11, 12
Originally named Penataquit, then Bayshore
Islip
Islip Centre 1868 1869
Islip Disabled access 43.1 (69.4) 1868
East Islip
Club House 1870 1897
Great River Disabled access 45.2 (72.7) 1897 Originally named Youngsport
Oakdale Oakdale Disabled access 47.4 (76.3) 1868 Suffolk County Transit: 2
Sayville Sayville Disabled access 49.8 (80.1) 1868 Sayville Ferry Service to Fire Island
Bayport Bayport 1869 1980
Blue Point Blue Point 1870
1900
1882
1980
Patchogue Patchogue Disabled access 53.2 (85.6) 1869 Suffolk County Transit: 2, 6, 51, 53, 55, 66, 77, 77Y
Patchogue Village Bus
Davis Park Ferry to Fire Island
East Patchogue East Patchogue 1890 1928
Hagerman Hagerman 1890 1929
12 North Bellport Bellport Disabled access 57.8 (93.0) 1882 Suffolk County Transit: 66, 77
Originally named Accobomac, then Brewster Place
Brookhaven Brookhaven 1884 1958
Shirley Mastic–Shirley Disabled access 62.3 (100.3) 1960 Suffolk County Transit: 66
Mastic Mastic 1882 1960 Originally named Forge
Center Moriches Center Moriches 1881 1998 Originally named Moriches
East Moriches East Moriches 1897 1958
Eastport Eastport 1870 1958 Originally named Moriches
Speonk Speonk Disabled access 70.8 (113.9) 1870
14 Westhampton Westhampton Disabled access 74.3 (119.6) 1870
Quogue Quogue 1875 1998
East Quogue East Quogue 1871 c. 1883 Originally named Atlanticville
Hampton Bays Hampton Bays Disabled access 81.2 (130.7) 1871 Suffolk County Transit: 92
Originally named Good Ground
Canoe Place 1935 1953
Suffolk Downs 1907 1921
Shinnecock Hills Shinnecock Hills 1887 1932
Southampton College 1907
1976
1986
1939
1998
1986
Originally named Golf Grounds, then Southampton Campus
Temporarily reopened for the 1986 U.S. Open, 2004, and 2018 U.S. Opens
Southampton Southampton Disabled access 89.3 (143.7) 1871 Suffolk County Transit: 92, on-demand
Water Mill Water Mill 1875 c. 1968 Originally named Watermill
Bridgehampton Bridgehampton Disabled access 94.0 (151.3) 1870
Wainscott Wainscott 1898 1938
East Hampton East Hampton Disabled access 100.9 (162.4) 1895 Suffolk County Transit: 92, on-demand
Originally named Easthampton
Amagansett Amagansett Disabled access 104.3 (167.9) 1895 Suffolk County Transit: on-demand
Napeague Napeague Beach 1895 1927
Fanny Bartlett 1924 1928
Promised Land c. 1900 1928
Montauk Montauk Disabled access 115.8 (186.4) 1895 Suffolk County Transit: on-demand

References

  1. ^ "2023 ANNUAL RIDERSHIP REPORT". mta.info. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. IV. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "MTA Railroads". New York: Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  4. ^ "LIRR Montauk Branch Timetable". New York: Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  5. ^ Sengupta, Somini (March 15, 1998). "End of the Line for L.I.R.R.'s 10 Loneliest Stops". New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2007. After 122 years, Glendale saw its last train on Friday.
  6. ^ "The LIRR Says Goodbye to Lower Montauk". thelirrtoday.com.
  7. ^ Lower Montauk Branch Passenger Rail Study (PDF) (Report). New York: New York City Department of Transportation. January 2018. p. 4.
  8. ^ "Community Board Hears 'Subway Options' Plans" (PDF). Ridgewood Times. April 21, 1983. p. 9.
  9. ^ DiStephan, Denise (August 18, 1983). "Glendale Chamber Joins Montauk Option Foes" (PDF). Ridgewood Times. p. 1.
  10. ^ "Lower Montauk Branch Rail Study" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2017.
  11. ^ Block Operator Chris Soundy hooping some of the last orders from "PD" tower to the engineer of eastbound DE-30ac #420 (Photo: by Pat Masterson May 4, 2006
  12. ^ "PRR Chronology, 1870" (PDF). (57.0 KiB), January 2005 Edition
  13. ^ Long Island Railroad Company, Long Island and where to Go, 1877
  14. ^ "Long Island". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. August 22, 1877. p. 1.
  15. ^ "Railroad Changes". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 27, 1876. p. 2.
  16. ^ "oldsouthernroad". arrts-arrchives.com.
  17. ^ Vincent F. Seyfried, The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I., 1961
  18. ^ "Railroad Reorganization". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. March 15, 1880. p. 10.
  19. ^ "Railroad Dedication". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 6, 1870. p. 2.
  20. ^ "Another Link". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. July 22, 1881. p. 4.
  21. ^ "Golden Days". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. August 1, 1881. p. 4.
  22. ^ "A Forest Fire". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 13, 1896. p. 4.
  23. ^ "Latest Long Island News". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 1, 1895. p. 7.
  24. ^ "The Fall Time Table". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. September 7, 1895. p. 7.
  25. ^ "New Block Signals". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. March 8, 1896. p. 7.
  26. ^ "LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD BABYLON ELECTRIFICATION". arrts-arrchives.com.
  27. ^ "PRR Chronology, PRR Chronology, 1925" (PDF)., June 2004 Edition
  28. ^ "L.I.R.R. Files to End Montauk Branch". The New York Times. November 21, 1953. pp. 1, 19. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  29. ^ Freedman, Mitchell (February 24, 1998). "LIRR Scaling Back / 10 little-used stations to close in March". Newsday. ProQuest 279065499.
  30. ^ Wehner, Greg (April 16, 2019). "State Looks To Designate Funds For Expansion Of The LIRR Montauk Branch – Southampton". www.27east.com. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  31. ^ "New Fares — Effective April 21, 2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  32. ^ "Rapid Transit Extension". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 24, 1890. p. 1.
  33. ^ Long Island Railroad Station History (TrainsAreFun.com) Archived January 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ 1898 Railroad Map of Queens and Kings County (Unofficial LIRR History Website)
  35. ^ "SSRR BALDWIN". arrts-arrchives.com.
  36. ^ "Babylon/Montauk stations". lirrhistory.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2000.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  37. ^ "early LIRR stations". lirrhistory.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2000.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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