Present operator of commuter rail service.
Now publicly owned, with service operating east from Pennsylvania Station, and from additional stations in Brooklyn and Queens. The hub of the Long Island Rail Road is Jamaica, where many passengers are required to transfer, to reach their destinations along the numerous branches on the railroad. Many branches remain in operation, while some branches were eventually discontinued.
DISCONTINUED BRANCHES
Whitestone Branch, Flushing-Whitestone, discontinued 1932
Central Extension, Garden City-Bethpage, discontinued 1953
West Hempstead Branch Extension, West Hempstead-Garden City-Mineola, discontinued 1939
Far Rockaway West Branch, Laurelton-Cedarhurst, discontinued 1934
Rockaway Beach Branch, Woodside-Rockaway Beach
cut back to Hamilton Beach 1950, cut back to Ozone Park 1955, discontinued 1962
Far Rockaway Branch Extension, Rockaway Beach-Far Rockaway, discontinued 1955
Port Jefferson Branch Extension, Port Jefferson-Wading River, discontinued 1930
Sag Harbor Branch, Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor, discontinued 1939
In 1950, a fire destroyed the trestle over Jamaica Bay south of Hamilton Beach, severing the line between there and Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway. In 1956, service to Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway was assumed by the New York Subway, using a rebuilt bridge.
Long Island/Nassau Co.
Long Island/Suffolk Co.
Long Island Rail Road History Web Site