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Port Washington station

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Coordinates: 40°49′46″N 73°41′14″W / 40.829349°N 73.68733°W / 40.829349; -73.68733
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Port Washington
The Port Washington LIRR terminal's station house, as seen from Main Street on June 6, 2021.
General information
LocationMain Street, between
Haven & South Bayles Avenues
Port Washington, New York
Coordinates40°49′46″N 73°41′14″W / 40.829349°N 73.68733°W / 40.829349; -73.68733
Line(s)Port Washington Branch
Distance18.1 mi (29.1 km) from Long Island City[1]
Platforms2 island platforms
Tracks8
ConnectionsLocal Transit Nassau Inter-County Express: n23, Port Washington Shuttle
Construction
ParkingYes (Port Washington Parking District permits required)
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codePWS
Fare zone4
History
OpenedJune 23, 1898
Rebuilt1930, 1998
ElectrifiedOctober 21, 1913[2]
750 V (DC) third rail
Passengers
2012—20147,459[3]
Rank13 of 125
Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station
Plandome
toward Penn Station or Grand Central
 Port Washington Branch Terminus
Location
Map

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 Port Washington Boulevard (NY 101), and is 19.9 miles (32 km) from Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan. A pedestrian bridge exists between the platforms, and is in line with Franklin Avenue, ending at Haven Avenue.

History

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The construction of a train station in Port Washington was first recommended to Austin Corbin by a group of Port Washington residents in 1895, after a failed attempt to extend the existing North Side Division between Great Neck and Roslyn in 1882. Efforts to bring rail service to the community actually date back to the days of the Flushing and North Side Railroad which established an unbuilt subsidiary called the "North Shore and Port Washington Railroad" that was dissolved once the F&NS was consolidated into the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad in 1874. The station was originally built on June 23, 1898, by the Great Neck and Port Washington Railroad, an LIRR subsidiary that existed between 1898 and 1902.[4]

The Port Washington Branch was electrified to Port Washington in 1913. The station was remodeled in 1930, and again in 1998 upon the station's 100th Anniversary.[5]

In 1959, the main parking lot at the station was opened by the Port Washington Parking District, with a capacity of 411 cars.[6] Parking capacity for the station more than doubled when the district opened the parking lot. The construction of this parking lot required the Town of North Hempstead and the Long Island Rail Road to make land swaps, and the station's rail freight depot was relocated roughly 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to make rooms for the improved parking facilities.[6][7]

In April 2014, a pedestrian bridge connecting the south end of the station with Haven Avenue closed, after pieces of concrete fell off the bridge and onto the tracks.[8][9] Determined to be structurally-unsound, corroded, and largely damaged beyond repair, the overpass was demolished, and the station's other pedestrian overpass received a temporary, prefabricated extension span to maintain the pedestrian connection between Haven Avenue and the south end of the station.[8][9]

In 2018, then-New York State Senator Elaine R. Philips secured a $5 million grant to replace the platform canopies at the station.[10]

In order to allow for increased service via the line to Grand Central Terminal, two existing tracks in the Port Washington Yard (located at the station) are planned to be extended. Work was originally scheduled to begin in January 2018 and be completed by December 2020.[11] As of 2017, construction was scheduled to commence between late 2020 and early 2021, with a cost of $500,000.[12][13] However, the project has been met with significant community opposition, primarily because of the proposed reduction in the number of parking spaces at the station.[14][15]: 65 [16][17]: 61 [18][19] Also, a significant concern is the lack of any guarantee of increased service to the station upon completion of this costly project. [20]

Station layout

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A train on Track 3, as seen from the end of the station closest to Main Street.

This station has two 10-car long island platforms serving four tracks. The remaining four tracks make up the Port Washington Yard and are used for train storage.

M Mezzanine Crossover between platforms and parking lots
Ground/platform level
Station house, buses, and taxis 		Track 1 ← Storage track
Track 2 ←      Port Washington Branch toward Penn Station or Grand Central Madison (Plandome)
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right Disabled access
Track 3 ←      Port Washington Branch toward Penn Station or Grand Central Madison (Plandome)
Track 4 ←      Port Washington Branch toward Penn Station or Grand Central Madison (Plandome)
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right Disabled access
Track 5 ←      Port Washington Branch toward Penn Station or Grand Central Madison (Plandome)
Track 6 ← Storage track
Track 7 ← Storage track
Track 8 ← Storage track

Port Washington Yard

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The Port Washington Yard is a rail yard in Port Washington, New York, located at the Port Washington Long Island Rail Road station – the terminus of the Port Washington Branch. The yard consists of four tracks – three on the east side of the station and one on the west side. It can accommodate up to 40 train cars at a time.[21]

Proposed expansion

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In order to allow for increased service on the Port Washington Branch, two existing tracks in the Port Washington Yard are planned to be extended. Work was originally scheduled to begin in January 2018 and be completed by December 2020.[11] As of 2017, construction was scheduled to commence between late 2020 and early 2021, with a cost of $500,000.[12][13] However, the project has been met with significant community opposition – in large part due to the proposed reduction in the number of parking spaces at the station.[14] In September 2022, the MTA and the Town of North Hempstead reached an agreement that the yard expansion is necessary, and that it, therefore, needs to be built.[15]: 65 [16][17]: 61 [18][19] On July 9, 2024, the sides agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which the LIRR would study expanding the yard. At the Town Hall meeting that day (where the MOU was unanimously approved), Assemblywoman Mariann Dalimonte stated in response to a question from a member of the public that she and Supervisor DeSena had expressed the concern as to whether or not there would be any service improvements from this project to the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which oversees the LIRR. Dalimonte said they asked the MTA to ensure that services would be expanded if the project is completed, but the MTA said they could not guarantee it. [22]

Incidents

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  • On August 3, 1946, a head-on train crash at the station resulted in two deaths and 27 injuries.[23]
  • On October 14, 1947, the rear car of a New York-bound train backing into the station crashed into the bumper block at approximately 8:12 AM.[24] The train subsequently derailed and crashed into the rear of the station building, ultimately coming to a stop inside the station's waiting room. One person – a 46-year-old, female passenger named Elizabeth Sandblom who had been waiting on the platform – received non-fatal injuries.[24]
  • On December 29, 1988, a 10-car M3 train arriving from Penn Station derailed after crashing into the bumper block at the end of Track 3 at approximately 1:30 PM.[25] The force of the impact caused the train to push the bumper block back by approximately 1 foot (30 cm); this resulted in the train and bumper block crashing into – and damaging – sections of the track, concrete platform, and the platform's steel railing. At the time of the incident, the train was carrying 25 passengers and four crew members – none of whom were injured. Car # 9892 – the lead car – sustained minor damage in the incident.[25]

References

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  1. ^ Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. VI. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  2. ^ "LIRR Branch Notes". trainsarefun.com.
  3. ^ "2012-2014 LIRR Origin and Destination Report : Volume I: Travel Behavior Among All LIRR Passengers" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 23, 2016. PDF pp. 15, 197. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2020. Data collection took place after the pretest determinations, starting in September 2012 and concluding in May 2014. .... 2012-2014 LIRR O[rigin and ]D[estination] COUNTS: WEEKDAY East/West Total By Station in Numerical Order ... Port Washington
  4. ^ "Long Island Rail Road". Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  5. ^ "PORT WASHINGTON BRANCH Part 2 Auburndale to Port Washington". forgotten-ny.com. May 16, 2002.
  6. ^ a b "Parking Area Opens at Port LIRR Station". Newsday. July 16, 1959. p. 36 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ "LIRR Okays Port Parking Plan". Newsday. September 22, 1948. p. 27 – via ProQuest.
  8. ^ a b Eidler, Scott (June 19, 2014). "Port Washington LIRR Station to Get Temporary Pedestrian Bridge". Newsday. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Eidler, Scott (October 1, 2014). "Port Washington LIRR Pedestrian Bridge to Be Extended". Newsday. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Chung, Christine (October 18, 2018). "Phillips Announces New Canopies Coming to Port Washington LIRR Station". Newsday. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "L60601YL Port Washington Yard Reconfiguration". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "MTA Long Island Rail Road Committee Meeting" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 2017. p. 35. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "L60601YL Port Washington Yard Reconfiguration". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Castillo, Alfonso A. (November 29, 2015). "Outta Space: Few Places to Park at LIRR Lots". Newsday. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Joint Metro-North And Long Island Committees Meeting. mta.info (Report). November 2020. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Kaplan, Anna M. (September 28, 2022). "Important LIRR Commuter Update: Express Trains Have Been Saved". nysenate.gov. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Joint Metro-North And Long Island Committees Meeting. mta.info (Report). November 2021. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "LIRR Announces Six Express Trains Included in Port Washington Branch Revised Grand Central Madison Draft Timetables". MTA. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Long Island Rail Road Bows to Outcry, Revises Port Washington Branch Schedule". Trains. September 30, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  20. ^ Oakes, Cameryn (July 10, 2024). "North Hempstead enters agreement to conduct study on additional Port Washington LIRR track - Featured". The Island 360. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  21. ^ Schaden, Marco (October 30, 2019). "Port Washington Branch Capital Program Projects". Manhasset Press. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  22. ^ Oakes, Cameryn (July 10, 2024). "North Hempstead enters agreement to conduct study on additional Port Washington LIRR track - Featured". The Island 360. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  23. ^ Ingraham, Joseph C. (August 4, 1946). "2 Killed, 27 Hurt in Head-On Crash on L.I. Railroad; Second Rail Accident in 18 Hours in Metropolitan Area". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  24. ^ a b TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (October 15, 1947). "TRAIN HITS WAITING ROOM; One Hurt as Car Jumps Block at Port Washington Station". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Bleyer, Bill (December 30, 1988). "A Second Train Derails on LIRR". Newsday. p. 5 – via ProQuest.
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Media related to Port Washington (LIRR station) at Wikimedia Commons

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