19th century The Main Line opened beyond Jamaica to
Hicksville on March 1, 1837; shortly afterwards, the
Panic of 1837 severely curtailed construction. Construction on the line to Greenport resumed in 1840. It was extended to
Farmingdale on October 15, 1841,
Deer Park on March 14, 1842,
Brentwood on June 24, 1842,
Central Islip on July 14, 1842 and
Yaphank on June 26, 1844. An opening excursion to
Greenport was operated on July 27, 1844, and revenue service began over the full line on July 29. The city of Brooklyn banned the LIRR from using
steam propulsion within city limits effective July 1, 1851. The railroad refused to comply until early October, when they stopped freight and passenger trains at Jamaica, directing passengers to take
Fulton Street stages to
Bedford and transfer there to "Jamaica Line" stages. Laws passed on April 19, 1859 allowed for the appointment of commissioners, empowered to contract with the LIRR to close the
Cobble Hill Tunnel, cease using steam within city limits, and instead run
horse cars for freight and passengers to the city line or
East New York, connecting with steam trains to and beyond Jamaica there. By the fall of 1861, both use of steam as propulsion and of the tunnel had ceased. In order to maintain access to New York, the LIRR chartered the
New York and Jamaica Railroad (NY&J) on September 3, 1859, and a supplement to the LIRR's charter passed March 12, 1860 authorized it to buy the NY&J and build a new main line from Jamaica to
Hunters Point. The LIRR carried through with the NY&J purchase on April 25, along with the purchase of a short piece of the Brooklyn and Jamaica at Jamaica. The new line to Hunters Point was officially opened on May 9, 1861, with regular service starting May 10, using a portion of the tracks of the
Flushing Railroad between Winfield and Hunters Point. Floral Park station was built between October and November 1878 as "Stewart Junction," for the junction between the LIRR Main Line and the
Central Railroad of Long Island built by
Alexander Turney Stewart. Five years earlier the CRRLI had bridged the LIRR, and the station served as a connection between both lines. Connecting tracks were available at the southwest corner of the bridge at the station, and on the northwest corner of the bridge west of the station. It was renamed "Hinsdale" in 1879 with the closing of the CRRLI depot of the same name along the
Creedmoor Branch, then renamed "East Hinsdale" in 1887. That same year, the station gained a control tower known as "Tower #47." Apparently due to the presence of the florist
John Lewis Childs, the station was renamed "Floral Park" by 1890. On January 1, 1881,
Austin Corbin took over the Long Island Rail Road and sought out to install new rails on the Main Line from
Winfield Junction to Jamaica. In February 1881, all service on the Main Line was halted, and this station was temporarily abandoned at this time. Starting in April, the old rails were torn up and used on the
South Side Railroad of Long Island. The temporary abandonment inconvenienced visitors to the Cemetery, and during this period, the managers of the cemetery made arrangements to have visitors transported free of charge to the
Richmond Hill station on the
Montauk Division. The tracks were relaid during September and October 1882, and the line was rebuilt as a double-track line with iron rails. The line was reopened on October 25, 1882 for freight only to allow the Montauk Division to be exclusively used for passenger service. Service resumed on May 30, 1883 with one daily train in each direction after the managers of the cemetery made a request to the directors of the Long Island Rail Road. In 1886, the station was moved to provide space for a lawn and flowerbed. After Hopedale station closed in 1884, this was the only station on the Main Line between Winfield and Jamaica, and as of 1897, the line was mostly used for freight, with the exception of some passenger service during commuting hours. The line was double-tracked to Hicksville in 1890.
Early 20th century The line was electrified to
Queens Village and
Belmont Park on October 2, 1905. On May 26, 1908, the line was electrified to
Floral Park; Hempstead Branch stations southeast of Floral Park were electrified on the same date. The line was triple-tracked between Bellerose and Floral Park in 1908. Around the same time, the construction of
Pennsylvania Station and
Sunnyside Yard necessitated the construction of a new
grade-separated route within
Woodside to increase train capacity, which was limited by the previous at-grade routing. Land acquisition for this reroute, dubbed the "Woodside/Winfield Cut-Off", starting in 1908. In order to provide fast service for the opening of the
Pennsylvania Railroad's
East River Tunnels in 1910, the Long Island Rail Road completely rebuilt the Main Line between Winfield and Jamaica from one track to four tracks, with two additional tracks between the Glendale Cut-Off and Winfield. 40 grade crossings were eliminated as part of the project. In addition, the line was electrified using a
third rail. This was expected to reduce the running time between Jamaica and
Sunnyside Yard from 18 minutes to 12 minutes.
Maple Grove Cut-off To speed up service through Kew Gardens, the LIRR undertook the construction of the Maple Grove Cut-Off for $500,000. and sped up service with the construction of a new straightened four-track route that ran at a lower grade. The Cut-Off branched from the original line about north of Ascan Avenue in
Forest Hills, and continued to 84th Drive in Kew Gardens, or about east of Lefferts Avenue. The original line ran straight from
Winfield to within a few feet of Queens Boulevard at Lefferts Avenue (now Boulevard) and then curved sharply southeast around the southern edge of Maple Grove Cemetery, slowing service. The land for the right-of-way to the west of Lefferts Avenue was acquired from the
Cord Meyer Development Corporation, while the land to the east was purchased from Alrick Man, the founder of the urban neighborhood of
Richmond Hill. While he had to sell the property of the Richmond Hill Golf Club and 25 acres of estate, he still owned a lot of the land in Richmond Hill, and therefore financially benefitted from the move. Since the golf course was going to be cut in half by the railroad, Man closed the course in 1906, and decided to sell the course and turn it into a residential community. The right-of-way initially had room for six tracks, of which four tracks were built. The two additional tracks would have been used for freight. The LIRR's right-of-way increased from to . Crystal Lake, which was in the path of the Cut-Off, was drained in 1909. As part of the initial agreement, bridges over the new right-of-way were to be built over Quentin Road (now 80th Road) and Lefferts Avenue. The Maple Grove station was moved from its location south of Kew Gardens Road (old Newtown Avenue) to a spot south along the north side of tracks on the west side of Lefferts Avenue, closer to the built-up portion of Richmond Hill. Man built streets through the property of the old golf club, and built elegant homes close to the new railroad station, creating what is known as Kew Gardens today. Limited construction began on the Cut-Off in November 1908, with real work beginning in March 1909. The plans were modified in 1909 to add bridges at Penelope Avenue and Ascan Avenue. The grading of the right-of-way and the laying of track was completed by September 1909. On July 26, 1909, eastbound trains started running over the Maple Grove Cut-Off. On July 30, westbound trains began running via the cut-off with its completion. Provisions were left for future crossings at Roman Avenue (72nd Avenue), Puritan Avenue (75th Avenue), and Allegheny Avenue (77th Avenue).
Extension to Manhattan On September 8, 1910, the line between
Long Island City and
Jamaica was electrified, and service to Pennsylvania Station was inaugurated. Initially, service consisted of 101 trains in each direction to the Hempstead, Far Rockaway and Long Beach branches. On September 8, 1910, the new Kew station opened along with the introduction of electric service to
Penn Station using the Maple Grove Cut-Off.
Jamaica improvement The present
Jamaica station was designed by
Kenneth M. Murchison and built between 1912 and 1913 as a replacement for the two former stations in Jamaica. Both former stations were discontinued as station stops. The 1912–13 "Jamaica Improvement" was the final step in consolidating the branch lines of the LIRR. To the west of the station, Jay Interlocking was built, and to the east, Hall Interlocking was constructed. These interlockings allowed any line to reach any other line, allowing easy transfer between lines at Jamaica station, which is the hallmark of current day LIRR service. When the new Jamaica station opened, residents of Jamaica were dissatisfied with its location; downtown Jamaica was centered around Union Hall Street, east of the new station at Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue. The LIRR thus decided to add a new
Union Hall Street station in 1913. (The Union Hall Street station closed on May 20, 1977.)
Winfield Cut-off Meanwhile, the Winfield relocation project was delayed due to uncertainties about certain portions of the project, such as the new trestle that had to be erected across the under-construction
Queens Boulevard near 67th Street, as well as the need to construct the elevated
IRT Flushing Line over the new route at 61st Street. Work on the Winfield project resumed in 1912, and the following year, the
Dual Contracts finalized the plans for the Flushing Line. though it was completed in the fall. The new station at Bellaire opened on September 20, 1924 with high-level platforms. The project to eliminate the five grade crossings cost $2,500,000, while the project to extend Cross Island Boulevard under the line cost $75,000, and the project to do the same for Bellaire Boulevard (211th Street) cost $60,000. On January 16, 1923, the Transit Commission ordered the LIRR to eliminate five crossings on the Main Line east of Jamaica station and a crossing at Hillside on the Montauk Division to complete the elimination of grade crossings on the Main Line east of Jamaica within city limits. The LIRR accepted the order and expected to begin construction on the project following the completion of the Queens Elimination project. As part of the project, grade crossings at New York Avenue, Puntine Street, Smith Street, Canal Street, Brenton Avenue with the Main Line, and at South Street with the Montauk Division would be eliminated. Existing grade-separated crossings at Union Hall Street, Washington Street, and Prospect Street, which crossed over the rail line would be modified to be under-grade crossings. At the time, the Main Line tracks were elevated at Jamaica, and then descended on a steep grade to the east of the station to a level lower. After Hillside station, the line went up on a more gradual grade and rose to approximately the same elevation at Jamaica Station at Farmers Avenue in Hollis. All the at-grade crossings in the section were heavily trafficked, and buildings and other obstacles obstructed views of the crossings. The Canal Street crossing had seven tracks, while the others had five tracks. During the summer, car traffic would pile up for several blocks on both sides when the gates at the crossings were down. It was decided to construct the grade separation on an elevated structure rather than in an open cut so as to not interfere with the city sewer system and as it would require ridiculously steep grades. The existing bridges at Prospect Street, Washington Street, and Union Hall Street were very old, had steep grades of over 8 percent on either side. The steep grade starting west of Prospect Street caused many delays for westbound service as trains had to increase speed before going up the grade and could not operate as slowly as would be necessary for efficient train operations at Jamaica. As part of the plan, the Main Line would be increased to eight tracks, four of which would connect with the four-track right-of-way starting at Hollis. Two tracks would allow freight traffic to go to Holban Yard without having to use the Main Line tracks as was done at the time, and the two other tracks would be used for Montauk Division trains, which would no longer need to cross Main Line tracks at grade. The line would be built on embankment with concrete retaining walls, with all crossings to be made below grade, with a clearance of at least . A new street would be carried across the line east of Hillside station. The LIRR planned to replace existing stations at Hillside and Union Hall Streets with more up-to-date facilities with full length concrete high-level platforms. The estimated cost of the project was $2,460,000. New York City applied to extend 199th Street and 202nd Street across the Main Line in Queens. On September 26, 1928, the Transit Commission ordered to extend 202nd Street across the line below the grade of the line, and to create a pedestrian only underpass for 199th Street. The plans for the crossing at 199th Street were approved on April 17, 1929, while the plans for 202nd Street were approved on August 19, 1931. In 1931, it was expected to begin work in 1932. On March 17, 1936, at a hearing of the New York State Transit Commission and the New York State Public Service Commission, the LIRR said that it would seek permission in 1937 to abandon the three stations along the Main Line between Jamaica and Pennsylvania Station—Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside. The LIRR had said that it anticipated a loss of annual revenue between $750,000 and $1 million with the opening of the extension of the
Independent Subway System's
Queens Boulevard Line to Jamaica.
Westbridge station closed on January 1, 1939.
Signaling upgrades On August 15, 1955, LIRR officials announced that it would install a complicated arrangement of signals and switches to the east of the station within two weeks for nearly $100,000 to allow eastbound express trains in the evening rush hour to bypass the station via the station's westbound tracks. The LIRR was in the process of planning improvements to the station's west to allow westbound express trains in the morning rush hour to run via the station's eastbound tracks. On July 10, 1956, the LIRR began work on a $750,000 project to install reverse signaling on the 15.7 miles of the Main Line between Divide Interlocking in Hicksville and Hall Interlocking in Jamaica. The project modified existing signaling with remotely-controlled switches. Along with additional crossovers, this would enable peak-direction express trains to bypass local trains by using the track that was currently being used for infrequent reverse-peak service. This would enable running times on existing expresses trains from Hicksville to be reduced, and allow local trains to make additional stops west of Hicksville. Under the existing service plan, the number of stops local trains could make were limited to avert delaying express trains following behind them. On July 10, 1956, to the west of Hicksville, a pre-fabricated bridge that would hold automatic signals was installed. The first 6.3-mile section, between Hicksville and Mineola, was completed in early 1957. Completing this section required the installation of three sets of crossover switches, over 400 electrical relays, housed in 18 steel cabinets, 1,500 feet of pipe for air lines for the operation of switches, and about 42 miles of cable and wire. In December 1957, the project was expected to be completed by the end of the year to Floral Park, and in 1958 to Jamaica. The equipment was provided by the Union Switch and Signal Company. On April 22, 1957, work began on a $12,500 project to extend the station platform at Hicksville by 470 feet to allow trains to stop without blocking grade crossings at Broadway and Jerusalem Avenue. Work was expected to be complete about May 6. To complete the project, changes were made in the handling of express and freight operations, a switch was moved, and tracks in the freight yard were relocated. The LIRR had completed similar platform extension projects at Manhasset, Bethpage, Westbury, Copiague, Malverne, and Brentwood.
Merillon Avenue station was rebuilt in 1958, featuring a smaller structure, as well as a narrow, 11'6" bridge under the tracks for Nassau Boulevard; this bridge was replaced with a 14"-high bridge as part of the
Main Line Expansion Project in October 2019. In November 1963, the LIRR announced a plan to shorten the platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens by . The railroad's justification was that ridership at the stations was low, and did not warrant repairing the crumbling concrete. These sections of platforms had been installed in about 1929 to allow the stations to accommodate full-length trains. This move was opposed by civic groups, and resulted in an investigation by the
Public Service Commission. However, the platform extensions were removed by March 1964. Prior to their removal, the platforms extended to the overpass at 82nd Avenue (formerly known as Onslow Place).
Grade-crossing eliminations and electrification to Huntington On September 12, 1964, a grade-crossing elimination project at Hicksville was completed, with the new station being located on an elevated structure. The $15 million project eliminated seven grade-crossings, provided 556 parking spaces, and rebuilt the Hicksville station as a three-track station with two -long island platforms. The parking spaces were built along the old at-grade right-of-way. The LIRR was acquired by New York State in 1965 and was put under the control of the
Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA). It authorized engineering studies for the extension of electrified service along the Main Line from Mineola to
Hicksville, then along the Port Jefferson Branch to
Huntington. On June 13, 1967 the LIRR received a $22,697,500 federal grant from the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) for the project. The total cost was estimated at $45 million. On October 19, 1970, the LIRR's $69 million electrification project from Mineola to Huntington was completed. The project was funded through grants from UMTA and a New York State Transportation bond issue. of track were electrified as part of the project. Diesel service on this section was replaced with electric service running directly to Penn Station, eliminating the need to change at Jamaica, and saving passengers an average of 15 minutes. This was the LIRR's first new electrification project since 1925. Union Hall Street closed on May 20, 1977. Some people in the area were already under the impression the station was closed. Some time before, wire fences were installed to seal Union Street, which passes under the station, to car traffic. An opening was left to allow people to reach the staircases to the platforms. On February 1, 1980, the LIRR, in response to audit released by the state comptroller on November 16, 1979, submitted a proposal to close 29 stations, including Kew Gardens, to save $250,000. The audit evaluated ticket sales in 1976, and recommended that stations with fewer than 60 transactions per hour be closed. Thirty-nine LIRR stations fell in to this category, but ten were not recommended for closure, either because they were terminals or switch locations. In addition to Kew Gardens, Forest Hills,
East Hampton,
Westhampton,
Sea Cliff and
Locust Valley would be completely closed. The other stations would have been closed on weekends, every day but Monday, or closed half of the day.
Electrification to Ronkonkoma As part of the MTA's first capital program, the signaling system on the Main Line between Jamaica and Penn Station would be upgraded to reduce congestion and allow for increased capacity. The project would construct a new control center at Penn Station, allowing for remote control of Harold Interlocking, redesign Harold Interlocking, modernize towers and switching systems at Penn Station, and install reverse-signaling on the Main Line, allowing for increased peak direction capacity without adding additional tracks. The signaling project would also install automatic speed control and interlocking improvements. To provide interim benefits from reverse-signaling, one block reverse signaling was installed on the eastbound Main Line 2 track, allowing westbound diesels in the morning peak to head west by signal indication, reducing congestion on the westbound tracks. This operation started in May 1983. These projects were expected to cost $66.2 million. At the time, in 1983, the Main Line west of Jamaica heading to Penn Station was at capacity, with 40 trains using the two Main Line tracks in the peak direction. Initially, a full second track was going to be built between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma. However, due to funding issues, only passing sidings, and double tracking at some stations was completed. In addition, bridges, substations and most platforms were built to accommodate a second track. New stations were built at Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood and Central Islip with high-level platforms. On April 30, 1987 electric service was extended by to
Bethpage. Electric service was extended to Farmingdale on June 22, 1987. Limited electric service to Ronkonkoma began on December 28, 1987, with full electric service was completed on January 18, 1988. The entire project cost $168 million and electrified of track. $49.875 million of the cost was funded by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Electric service reduced travel time by an average of 26 minutes, and allowed for direct service to Penn Station, eliminating transfers at Hicksville or Jamaica. It was expected that ridership at the stations now in electrified territory would be increased by 4,000 in 1988, attracting ridership from other diesel branches. By the 1990s, there was also an increased number of
reverse commuters on the LIRR, and further improvements to the Main Line were needed, including the extension of electrification from Ronkonkoma to
Yaphank and the installation of a third track from
Bellerose to Hicksville. On April 28, 1998, a bridge over Herricks Road opened, replacing a grade crossing which was once "labeled the most hazardous in the United States by the
National Transportation Safety Board." The grade-crossing elimination project was initiated after an incident on March 14, 1982, when a van with ten teenagers got struck at the rail crossing with the crossing gates down, killing nine of them. The project took five years and cost $85 million. Work continued for a year to widen the overpass to allow for a future third track. On October 30, 2013, the LIRR unveiled a renovated Queens Village station, with passenger elevators, improved lighting, security cameras and a repainted building. In the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s 2010–2014 capital program, it proposed lengthening the four-car-long platforms at Kew Gardens to allow additional train cars to board at the station. The platform extensions would reduce waiting time at the station while allowing for more efficient operations between Jamaica and Penn Station. Although $4.5 million was allocated for the project, the money was ultimately redistributed to other projects. The MTA also recommended lengthening the platforms at Kew Gardens and Forest Hills in its 2015-2034 Twenty-Year Capital Needs Assessment, its strategic vision for capital needs over the twenty year period. On July 26, 2018, it was announced that the LIRR planned to extend the platforms at Kew Gardens and Forest Hills by to accommodate six-car trains. The platform extensions will consist of fiberglass decking supported by steel scaffolding structures, allowing the extensions to be completed quickly, and at a low cost, while allowing the LIRR to plan for a permanent solution. Preparation work began during the week of July 23, and the new extensions went into service on September 10, 2018. == Major infrastructure improvements ==