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Oyster Bay Branch

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Oyster Bay Branch
Double-decker Train #6506 to Oyster Bay at Mineola
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerLong Island Rail Road
LocaleNassau County, New York, USA
Termini
  • Mineola
  • Oyster Bay
Stations10
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemLong Island Rail Road
Services
  Oyster Bay Branch
Operator(s)Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Daily ridership6,000 (2003)[1]
Ridership1,023,159 (annual ridership, 2023)[2]
History
Opened1865–1889
Technical
Track length14.68 miles (23.6 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
ElectrificationThird rail, 750 V DC (south of East Williston)
Route map
Map
Legend
Main Line
to Penn Station, Grand Central, or Long Island City
Atlantic
9.3 mi
15 km
 Jamaica
"E" train​​"J" train​"Z" train
Far Rockaway Long Beach via Atlantic
Babylon West Hempstead via Montauk
Hillside Facility
11.5 mi
18.5 km
 Hollis
13.2 mi
21.2 km
 Queens Village
Queens
Nassau
Zone 3
Zone 4
Belmont Park
Bellerose
14.9 mi
24 km
 Floral Park
Hempstead
16.2 mi
26.1 km
 New Hyde Park
17.3 mi
27.8 km
 Merillon Avenue
18.6 mi
29.9 km
 Mineola
Ronkonkoma Port Jefferson Montauk
via
Main
West Hempstead Branch (former)
19.8 mi
31.9 km
 East Williston
end of electrification
Zone 4
Zone 7
20.8 mi
33.5 km
 Albertson
22.2 mi
35.7 km
 Roslyn
North Roslyn (closed)
24.2 mi
38.9 km
 Greenvale
25.4 mi
40.9 km
 Glen Head
26.7 mi
43 km
 Sea Cliff
27.3 mi
43.9 km
 Glen Street
27.9 mi
44.9 km
 Glen Cove
29.0 mi
46.7 km
 Locust Valley
Mill Neck (closed)
32.9 mi
52.9 km
 Oyster Bay
Oyster Bay Turntable
Oyster Bay Yard
Distances shown from Long Island City
This diagram:

The Oyster Bay Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch splits from the Main Line just east of Mineola station, and runs north and east to Oyster Bay.[4] The branch is electrified between East Williston and Mineola. The branch opened in segments between 1865 and 1889.

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]
Locust Valley in June 2012

The first phase of what is now known as the Oyster Bay Branch opened on January 23, 1865. The line was built by the Glen Cove Branch Rail Road, a subsidiary of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), which was incorporated on December 3, 1858.[5]

The line was built as a branch of the LIRR's Main Line from Mineola, and extended to Glen Head.[6] On May 16, 1867 the railway was extended to Glen Cove (now known as Glen Street).[7] and on April 19, 1869 the line was extended further to Locust Valley.[8][9]: 8 

By the early 1880s, there had been pressure to expand rail service eastward.[10] At this time another railroad, the Northern Railroad of Long Island threatened the Long Island Rail Road's monopoly.[10] The Northern Railroad was incorporated on March 23, 1881, and it planned to build a road from Astoria to Northport via Flushing, Great Neck, Glen Cove, Oyster Bay and Huntington.[10] By June 1881, construction plans were authorized and in mid-July the building contract was signed, with work set to begin in August.[10] The Long Island Rail Road attempted to undermine the Northern Railroad's project before it could sell stock and acquire a roadbed.[10] It was going to link its north side branches together as a continuous railroad to Northport.[10] Construction cost from Great Neck to Roslyn and from Locust Valley to Northport was approximately $400,000.[10]

In February 1883, Austin Corbin, president of the Long Island Rail Road, offered to supply iron and rolling stock for the extension to Oyster Bay if local residents provided the right-of-way.[10] While citizens considered the offer, the Northern Railroad folded since not enough money was raised.[10] With the threat eliminated, the extension of rail service to Oyster Bay was temporarily delayed.[10] The project was revived in 1886 when some citizens offered to secure a right-of-way.[10] In June 1886, a public meeting was held and a committee of 15 was appointed to secure land.[10] Although officials were still contemplating a through line to Northport, the LIRR organized the Oyster Bay Extension Railroad on August 31, 1886, which authorized a five-mile road from Locust Valley to Oyster Bay.[10] Ground was broken for the project on August 15, 1887.[10] One phase of construction was the building of a bridge over what is now Tunnel Street in Locust Valley.[10] The masonry project began in October 1888 and the arch was finished on April 13, 1889.[10] The entire bridge was completed by September.[10]

On June 24, 1889, the extension opened with a huge celebration in Oyster Bay.[10] A ceremonial train of ten cars left Long Island City about 9:30 a.m. and was met at Locust Valley by ten young ladies who decorated the locomotive with flags and wreaths.[10] Upon arrival at Oyster Bay, an organized procession commenced, which was viewed by 5,000 residents and visitors.[10] On Tuesday, June 25, the extension opened for regular passenger service with eight round trips daily to and from Long Island City.[10][9]: 8 

The line ended at Locust Valley for two decades until a final extension added four miles (6.4 kilometers) to Oyster Bay. One of the reasons for building to Oyster Bay was to create a connection to New England. A large pier, now owned by the Flowers Oyster Company, was built to facilitate the loading of passenger cars onto a ferry, specifically to the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad station and ferry pier in Wilson's Point section of Norwalk, Connecticut. Service lasted only a few years as overland service from New York to Boston, once thought impossible, commenced.

In early 1892, a second track was built between Mineola and Albertson.[11]

20th century to present

[edit]

The line was double-tracked to Roslyn, Glen Cove and Locust Valley in 1905, 1909 and 1911, respectively.[11][12]: 19 [13][14] The extension of the line's second track was done in anticipation of electrification.[15]: 21 

Until 1928, a direct connection to the West Hempstead Branch existed just east of Mineola station. This spur crossed the Main Line, then terminated at the end of a wye at what was often called the Garden City Branch. Until passenger service was abandoned along this branch, passengers would transfer between the two lines at Mineola Station itself.[16][17]

In November 1928, LIRR officials surveyed the branch to evaluate the feasibility of electrifying the line. The Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce petitioned the LIRR, advocating for electrification. In response, the Vice President of the LIRR, in December, stated that the LIRR had to deal with the completion of multiple grade crossing elimination projects before electrifying the Oyster Bay Branch, which was estimated to cost $3.28 million.[18][11]

By June 1934, the section of the line between East Williston and Mineola was electrified, with the remainder of the branch expected to be electrified soon after.[9]: 40  However, the remainder of the work was not completed; as a result, the branch is served by diesel powered-locomotive trains,[19] though until 2021, one AM peak train that originated at East Williston and ended at Penn Station utilized electric multiple units.[20] Mill Neck station closed in 1998.

In 2009, the LIRR replaced the bridge over West Shore Road between Locust Valley and Oyster Bay Stations.[21] In the late 2010s, the LIRR replaced and raised the bridge over Buckram Road between Locust Valley and Oyster Bay Stations.

In April 2021, then-President Phillip Eng announced that the LIRR entered into an agreement with Alstom to test battery-powered train cars along the Oyster Bay Branch. The branch was chosen due to the short 13-mile trip between East Williston and Oyster Bay. The project had the potential to improve service along the branch and across the LIRR's remaining diesel territory.[22] However, after spending $850,000 on the project, in July 2022 the LIRR announced that retrofitting existing trains with the technology was proven to be unfeasible, but the technology could be added to future train cars. Environmental groups continue to pressure the state to include LIRR electrification in their plan to become carbon neutral by 2050.[23]

Stations

[edit]

West of Mineola, most trains originate or terminate at Jamaica, with some rush hour trips ending at Hunterspoint Avenue, Long Island City, or Penn Station. Once on the branch, all trains run local except for one westbound rush-hour skip-stop service. Additionally, some rush hour trains express through Mineola in order to prevent congestion on track 3 of the Main Line.[24]

Zone[25] Location Station Miles (km)
from Long Island City[3] 		Date
opened 		Date
closed 		Connections and notes
4 Mineola Mineola Disabled access 18.6 (29.9) 1837 Long Island Rail Road: Montauk, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma branches
Nassau Inter-County Express: n22, n22X, n23, n24, n40, n41
Originally named Hempstead, then Branch or Hempstead Branch
East Williston East Williston Disabled access 19.8 (31.9) 1880[19] Nassau Inter-County Express: n27
Terminus of electrification
7 Albertson Albertson Disabled access 20.8 (33.5) 1875 Nassau Inter-County Express: n27
Roslyn Heights Roslyn Disabled access 22.2 (35.7) January 23, 1865 Nassau Inter-County Express: n23, n27
Roslyn Harbor North Roslyn 1898 1924 Originally named Wheatley Hills
Roslyn Harbor Greenvale Disabled access 24.2 (38.9) 1866 Nassau Inter-County Express: n27
Originally named Week's
Glen Head Glen Head Disabled access 25.4 (40.9) January 23, 1865 Nassau Inter-County Express: n27
Glen Cove Sea Cliff Disabled access 26.7 (43.0) May 16, 1867 Nassau Inter-County Express: n27
Glen Street Disabled access 27.3 (43.9) May 16, 1867 Nassau Inter-County Express: n21, n27
Glen Cove Disabled access 27.9 (44.9) 1895 Originally named Nassau
Locust Valley Locust Valley Disabled access 29.0 (46.7) April 19, 1869
Mill Neck Mill Neck June 24, 1889 1998 Originally named Bayville
Oyster Bay Oyster Bay Disabled access 32.9 (52.9) June 24, 1889[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ain, Stewart (August 8, 2004). "M.T.A.'s Threat Drops Some Jaws". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  2. ^ "2023 ANNUAL RIDERSHIP REPORT". mta.info. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. VI. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  4. ^ "MTA Railroads Map". New York: Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  5. ^ Seyfried, Vincent F. (1966). The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History.
  6. ^ PRR chronology: 1865 Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society Retrieved July 12, 2009
  7. ^ PRR chronology: 1867 Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society Retrieved July 12, 2009
  8. ^ PRR chronology: 1869 Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society Retrieved July 12, 2009
  9. ^ a b c Morrison, David D. (March 5, 2018). Long Island Rail Road: Oyster Bay Branch. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467128544.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Oyster Bay, Mill Neck, and Syosset: The History of Long Island Rail Road Service to Northeastern Nassau County". Derek Stadler. September 21, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Stadler, Derek (November 15, 2014). "Underutilized Tracks: A Chronicle of Electric Train Service to East Williston and a History of the Neighboring Communities". Derek Stadler. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  12. ^ "The Long Island Railroad Twenty-Seventh Annual Report For The Year Ending December 31st, 1908". Report of ..., Trustee[S] of the Property of the Debtor, for the Year Ended ...1949-1953. Long Island Railroad Company. 1909.
  13. ^ Annual Report of the Long Island Rail Road Company to the Interstate Commerce Commission for the Year Ended December 31, 1911. Long Island Railroad Company. 1912. p. 17.
  14. ^ "New Incorporations, Surveys, Etc". Railway Age. 50 (8): 368. February 24, 1911.
  15. ^ "The Long Island Railroad Twenty-Eighth Annual Report For The Year Ending December 31st, 1909". Report of ..., Trustee[S] of the Property of the Debtor, for the Year Ended ...1949-1953. Long Island Railroad Company.
  16. ^ "Mineola to West Hempstead". lirrhistory.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ Mineola Station History (Steve Lynch's LIRR Maps, Photos, Charts, etc.) (TrainsAreFun.com)
  18. ^ "Position of L.I. On Oyster Bay Electrification". Railway Age. 85 (24). Simmons–Boardman Publishing Company: 1203. December 15, 1928.
  19. ^ a b Morrison, David D.; Pakaluk, Valerie (2003). Long Island Rail Road Stations. Chicago: Arcadia. p. 57. ISBN 0-7385-1180-3. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  20. ^ "New schedules take effect January 25". The LIRR Today. January 18, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "Vans Replace Oyster Bay Trains Weekend of November 21-22". MTA-LIRR News. November 2009.
  22. ^ "LIRR to Test Electric Railcars on Oyster Bay Branch" (Press release). MTA. April 19, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Castillo, Alfonso A. (July 27, 2022). "LIRR: Can't add batteries to power existing trains where tracks not electrified". Newsday. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  24. ^ "LIRR Oyster Bay Branch Timetable". New York: Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "New Fares — Effective April 21, 2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  26. ^ "The Railroad Extension". The Brooklyn Times Union. June 22, 1889. p. 2. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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