Great Neck (LIRR station)
Encyclopedia
Great Neck is a station
in the village of Great Neck Plaza
, on the Port Washington Branch
of the Long Island Rail Road
. It is the first station on the branch (heading from Manhattan) in Nassau County
. The station is at Middle Neck Road and Station Plaza at Great Neck Road, 1/4 mile (0.4 km) north of Northern Boulevard
, and is 15.9 miles (25.6 km) from Penn Station
in Midtown Manhattan
. From this point on, the line becomes single track to Port Washington.
of the New York and Flushing Railroad when it was built in 1866 by a subsidiary called the North Shore Railroad, and called Brookdale Station. The NY&F was acquired by the Flushing and North Side Railroad
in 1869, and the name was changed to Great Neck in 1872. The F&NS was consolidated into the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad in 1874 through a merger with the Central Railroad of Long Island
, only to be leased in 1876 by the LIRR. In 1898, the LIRR built Long Island's highest railroad bridge to extend the line to Manhasset
and Port Washington
. In 1924, the station was closed and moved to its current location on February 26, 1925, as a grade crossing
elimination project brought the tracks below ground by June 8, 1934. Elevator
s are on both sides. The wall along the southeastern platform has an aluminum sculpture by artist David Saunders that was installed in 2001.
This station was referenced in The Great Gatsby
as "West Egg".
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 Port Washington
-bound trains. The branch has two tracks here. Track 2 extends approximately one-train length beyond the station before merging with Track 1. The MTA has proposed extending Track 2 to provide space for turning a second train.
This track would allow expansion of service along the Port Washington Branch
and the ability to add service to East Side Access
and Grand Central Terminal
.
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...
in the village of Great Neck Plaza
Great Neck Plaza, New York
Great Neck Plaza is a village in the town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 6,707 at the 2010 census....
, 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...
. It is the first station on the branch (heading from Manhattan) in 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...
. The station is at Middle Neck Road and Station Plaza at Great Neck Road, 1/4 mile (0.4 km) north of Northern Boulevard
New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A is a state highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore of Long Island, running from the Queens Midtown Tunnel in the New York City borough of Queens at its western terminus to...
, and is 15.9 miles (25.6 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...
. From this point on, the line becomes single track to Port Washington.
History
Great Neck was originally the terminusTerminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
of the New York and Flushing Railroad when it was built in 1866 by a subsidiary called the North Shore Railroad, and called Brookdale Station. The NY&F 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,...
in 1869, and the name was changed to Great Neck in 1872. The F&NS was consolidated into the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad in 1874 through a merger 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,...
, only to be leased in 1876 by the LIRR. In 1898, the LIRR built Long Island's highest railroad bridge to extend the line to Manhasset
Manhasset (LIRR station)
Manhasset is a station in Manhasset, New York on the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. Though a smaller wooden structure was originally built in 1899, the current station was built in the 1920s in a trench, at Plandome Road and Maple Place, off Park Avenue, five blocks North of...
and Port Washington
Port Washington (LIRR station)
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 Middle Neck Road, and is 19.9 miles from Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan...
. In 1924, the station was closed and moved to its current location on February 26, 1925, as a grade crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
elimination project brought the tracks below ground by June 8, 1934. Elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s are on both sides. The wall along the southeastern platform has an aluminum sculpture by artist David Saunders that was installed in 2001.
This station was referenced in The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
as "West Egg".
Service
Port Washington Branch trains generally run every 30 minutes in both directions during the daytime. During rush hours, when express service is provided, Great Neck is an express station. Local trains terminate here during rush hours. Terminating trains depart east on Track 2 and return via crossovers to the other platform. Trains run every two hours overnight.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 Port Washington
Port Washington, New York
Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the community population was 15,846....
-bound trains. The branch has two tracks here. Track 2 extends approximately one-train length beyond the station before merging with Track 1. The MTA has proposed extending Track 2 to provide space for turning a second train.
This track would allow expansion of service along 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...
and the ability to add service to East Side Access
East Side Access
East Side Access is a public works project being undertaken by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City, designed to bring the Long Island Rail Road into a new East Side station to be built below and incorporated into Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan...
and Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
.
External links
- Manhasset Viaduct Photos (Forgotten-NY.com)
- entrance from Google Maps Street View
