Flushing-Main Street (LIRR station)
Encyclopedia
Flushing Main Street is a station
on the Port Washington Branch
of the Long Island Rail Road
, serving the neighborhood of Flushing, Queens
. The station is part of CityTicket
, and is in Zone 3. The station is located at Main Street and 41st Avenue, off Kissena Boulevard and is 9.5 miles (15.3 km) from Penn Station
in Midtown Manhattan
. Parking is provided at a municipal lot on 41st Avenue.
of the Long Island Rail Road that was later abandoned. Flushing Main Street would serve as the terminus of the NY&F until October 30, 1864 when a subsidiary known as the North Shore Railroad extended it out to Great Neck
, and it was burned in order to prepare for a second station that was built between January and February 1865. It was razed again in 1870 and a third station was built between October and November 1870. Throughout the 1870s, Flushing Main Street and the rest of the line was acquired by the Flushing and North Side Railroad
, which would then be merged with the Central Railroad of Long Island
to form the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad, and finally become part of the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road
. Shortly after the line was electrified on October 22, 1912, the station was abandoned on November 11, 1912, as part of an effort by the Long Island Rail Road to bring the Port Washington Branch above and below street level depending on the location. In Flushing, the station was elevated along with the rest of the tracks on October 4, 1913. Until that point, the line used to run at grade and went through a tunnel under a girls' school just east of where the Main Street overpass stands today. The tunnel and the school were torn down to build the overpass and the open cut the line now runs through. In 1958, the elevated track level building was razed and replaced with a street level ticket office. Sheltered platforms exist on both sides of the tracks in the former station's place, and the sidewalks beneath the bridge serve as local businesses.
s, each 10 cars long. The north platform next to Track 1, is generally used by westbound or Manhattan
-bound trains. The south platform next to Track 2, is generally used by eastbound or Nassau County
-bound trains. The branch has two tracks here.
NYCT Bus
MTA Bus
MTA Long Island Bus
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
on the Port Washington Branch
Port Washington Branch
The Port Washington Branch is an electrified two-track rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York...
of the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
, serving the neighborhood of Flushing, Queens
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
. The station is part of CityTicket
CityTicket
CityTicket is a program that was instituted on January 10, 2004 by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York. It allows weekend travel on the Metro-North Railroad or the Long Island Rail Road between any two points within the borders of New York City, for a reduced $3.75 fare. Tickets...
, and is in Zone 3. The station is located at Main Street and 41st Avenue, off Kissena Boulevard and is 9.5 miles (15.3 km) from Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
. Parking is provided at a municipal lot on 41st Avenue.
History
Flushing Main Street station was originally built in December 1853 by the New York and Flushing Railroad, but not opened until June 26, 1854. The station was named after both Flushing and Main Street, in order to distinguish itself from the former Flushing Bridge Street station that ran along the Whitestone BranchWhitestone Branch
The Whitestone Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road, running north and east along the left bank of the Flushing River from the Port Washington Branch near the modern Willets Point, Flushing. It crossed the river on one of the three bridges later torn down for the Van Wyck Expressway,...
of the Long Island Rail Road that was later abandoned. Flushing Main Street would serve as the terminus of the NY&F until October 30, 1864 when a subsidiary known as the North Shore Railroad extended it out to Great Neck
Great Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
, and it was burned in order to prepare for a second station that was built between January and February 1865. It was razed again in 1870 and a third station was built between October and November 1870. Throughout the 1870s, Flushing Main Street and the rest of the line was acquired by the Flushing and North Side Railroad
Flushing and North Side Railroad
The Flushing and North Side Railroad is a former railroad on Long Island built by Conrad Poppenhusen as a replacement for the former New York and Flushing Railroad. The railroad was established in 1868, was merged with the Central Railroad of Long Island in 1874 to form the Flushing, North Shore,...
, which would then be merged with the Central Railroad of Long Island
Central Railroad of Long Island
Central Railroad of Long Island is a former railroad on Long Island built by Alexander Turney Stewart, who was also the founder of Garden City. The railroad was established in 1871, was merged with the Flushing and North Side Railroad in 1874 to form the Flushing, North Shore, and Central Railroad,...
to form the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad, and finally become part of the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
. Shortly after the line was electrified on October 22, 1912, the station was abandoned on November 11, 1912, as part of an effort by the Long Island Rail Road to bring the Port Washington Branch above and below street level depending on the location. In Flushing, the station was elevated along with the rest of the tracks on October 4, 1913. Until that point, the line used to run at grade and went through a tunnel under a girls' school just east of where the Main Street overpass stands today. The tunnel and the school were torn down to build the overpass and the open cut the line now runs through. In 1958, the elevated track level building was razed and replaced with a street level ticket office. Sheltered platforms exist on both sides of the tracks in the former station's place, and the sidewalks beneath the bridge serve as local businesses.
Platforms and tracks
The station has two high-level side platformSide platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
s, each 10 cars long. The north platform next to Track 1, is generally used by westbound or Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
-bound trains. The south platform next to Track 2, is generally used by eastbound or Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
-bound trains. The branch has two tracks here.
Bus & Rail Connections
New York City SubwayNew York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
- Flushing – Main Street station on the IRT Flushing LineIRT Flushing LineThe Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, operated as part of the IRT Division and designated the 7 route...
( trains)
NYCT Bus
- Q12: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-Little NeckLittle Neck, QueensLittle Neck is a community in the northeast corner of Queens County, bordered on the north by Little Neck Bay and on the east by Great Neck in Nassau County. Due to this proximity to Nassau, Little Neck remains one of the most suburban-looking areas in New York City. The southern border is the...
. - Q13: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-Fort Totten.
- Q15: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-BeechhurstBeechhurst, QueensBeechhurst is a neighborhood in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Queens. It is on the northeastern side of Whitestone, Queens, New York, near the East River, north of the Cross Island Parkway and between the approaches to the Throgs Neck and Whitestone bridges.Parts of the...
. - Q15A: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-WhitestoneWhitestone, QueensWhitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the City of New York borough of Queens. Located between the East River to the north and 25th Avenue to the south. Whitestone is surrounded by College Point, Flushing, Bayside, Auburndale, Linden Hill, and Murray Hill...
. - Q16: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-Fort Totten.
- Q17: JamaicaJamaica, QueensJamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
-Flushing-Main Street Subway Station. - Q20: Jamaica-College PointCollege Point, QueensCollege Point is a working-middle class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located north of Flushing on Flushing Bay and the East River and is part of the Queens Community Board 7. Willets Point Boulevard and the Whitestone Expressway are often the neighborhood's...
. - Q26: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-Fresh MeadowsFresh Meadows, QueensFresh Meadows is a residential neighborhood in northeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens.-Location:Fresh Meadows is located on the northeast side of Hillcrest, bordered to the east by Cunningham Park, to the south by Union Turnpike and St. John's University, and to the west by...
. - Q27: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-Cambria HeightsCambria Heights, QueensCambria Heights is a middle-class neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Springfield Boulevard and Francis Lewis Boulevard to the west, the Elmont, Nassau County border on the east, Queens Village to the north, St. Albans to the west, and...
. - Q28: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-Bay TerraceBay Terrace, QueensBay Terrace is an affluent neighborhood in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Queens, and is often considered part of Bayside, despite Bayside's more suburban character. The construction of the Bay Terrace Cooperative apartment buildings and garden apartments in the 1950s, as...
. - Q44: Jamaica-Bronx ZooBronx ZooThe Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows....
. - Q48: LaGuardia AirportLaGuardia AirportLaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
-Flushing-Main Street Subway Station. - Q50: Flushing-Main Street Subway Station-Co-op City.
- Q58: to Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenue Subway Station.
MTA Bus
- Q25: Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue Subway Station-College Point.
- Q34: Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue Subway Station-Whitestone.
- Q65: Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue Subway Station-College Point.
- Q66: to Queensborough Plaza Subway StationQueensboro Plaza (New York City Subway)Queensboro Plaza is an elevated New York City Subway station over Queens Plaza in Long Island City, at the east end of the Queensboro Bridge, with Queens Boulevard running east from the plaza. It stands over the south side of the roadway, but formerly spanned the whole plaza...
.
MTA Long Island Bus
MTA Long Island Bus
MTA Long Island Bus is the name used by MTA Regional Bus for its bus network serving primarily Nassau County. It also serves parts of western Suffolk County as well as parts of Queens. Long Island Bus is the trading name of Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority, a name which has not been used...
- N20: to HicksvilleHicksville, New YorkHicksville is a hamlet and census-designated place located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 41,547 at the 2010 census...
. - N21: to Glen CoveGlen Cove, New YorkGlen Cove is a city in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 26,964....
.
