View source for Babylon Branch

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{short description|Long Island Rail Road branch}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Babylon Branch
| color                           = {{rcr|LIRR|Babylon}}
| image                           = LIRR Train 108 leaves Lynbrook.jpg
| image_width                     = 300px
| caption                         = Babylon Branch train #108 departs the Lynbrook station, bound for [[Babylon station|Babylon]].
| type                            = [[Commuter rail]]
| system                          = [[Long Island Rail Road]]
| status                          = Operational
| locale                          = [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau]]  and [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States|USA]]
| start                           = [[Valley Stream station|Valley Interlocking]]
| end                             = [[Babylon station|Babylon]]
| stations                        = 14
| routes                          = {{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Babylon}}{{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Montauk}}{{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=West Hempstead}}
| daily_ridership                 = 
| ridership2                      = 11,606,943 (annual ridership, 2023)<ref name=ridership>{{cite web | title=2023 ANNUAL RIDERSHIP REPORT | website=mta.info | date= | url=https://new.mta.info/document/138216#:~:text=*%20Annual%20ridership%20is%20based%20on,workdays%20in%202023%20and%202022.&text=The%20Long%20Island%20Rail%20Road%20finished%202023%20with%20increased%20ridership,above%202022's%2052.5%20million%20ridership.| access-date=June 6, 2024}}</ref>
| open                            = 1867 (as part of the [[Southern Railroad of Long Island]])
| owner                           = [[Long Island Rail Road]]
| operator                        = [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]
| character                       = 
| stock                           = 
| linelength                      = 
| tracklength                     = 
| tracks                          = 
| gauge                           = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| electrification                 = {{750 V DC|conductor=third rail}}
| speed                           = 
| elevation                       = 
| map                             = {{switcher
|{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|type=line|stroke-color=#00985F|zoom=9|id=Q4838506}}
|Show interactive map
|{{Babylon Branch}}
|Show route diagram map
}}
| map_state                       = 
}}
The '''Babylon Branch''' is a [[rail service]] operated by the [[Long Island Rail Road]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[New York (state)|New York]]. The term refers to the trains serving [[Montauk Branch]] stations from [[Valley Stream (LIRR station)|Valley Stream]] east to [[Babylon (LIRR station)|Babylon]]; in other words, the Babylon Branch is a rail service running on elevated tracks like a subway would, rather than on actual track. The [[railway electrification system|electrification]] of the Montauk Branch ends east of the Babylon station, so the Babylon Branch is mostly served by electric trains.

The west end of the "Babylon Branch" is the junction between the [[West Hempstead Branch]] and Montauk Branch ([[Valley Stream station|Valley Interlocking]]); {{lirrs|St. Albans}}, the only stop on the Montauk Branch west of {{lirrs|Valley Stream}}, is serviced only by [[West Hempstead Branch]] trains. Some Montauk Branch trains operate nonstop through Babylon Branch stations until reaching Babylon, though others use the [[Central Branch (Long Island Rail Road)|Central Branch]] between Belmont Junction west of Babylon station and a junction at [[Main Line (LIRR)|Beth Interlocking]] on the [[Main Line (LIRR)|Main Line]] southeast of [[Bethpage (LIRR station)|Bethpage Station]], running to [[New York City]] via the Main Line.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://new.mta.info/map/22461|title=MTA Railroads Map|publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]|location=[[New York City|New York]]}}</ref><ref name="timetable">{{cite web|url=https://new.mta.info/document/84976|title=LIRR Babylon Branch Timetable|publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]|location=[[New York City|New York]]}}</ref>  On weekends, Babylon Branch trains typically stop at [[Forest Hills (LIRR station)|Forest Hills]] and [[Kew Gardens (LIRR station)|Kew Gardens]] in the eastbound direction as opposed to other Main Line trains that serve other branches.<ref name="timetable"/>

The Babylon Branch portion of the Montauk Branch is completely [[grade separated]] with bridges over all intersecting roadways. [[New York State Route 231]] and the [[Meadowbrook Parkway]] are the two exceptions to this; the tracks pass under these roadways.

==History==
{{See also|Montauk Branch#History}}

=== Early history ===
[[File:LIRR Babylon Station.JPG|left|thumb|[[Babylon station]]]]
[[File:Wantagh aerial 2021.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of ''(from bottom)'' the [[Wantagh station|Wantagh]], [[Seaford (LIRR station)|Seaford]], and [[Massapequa station|Massapequa]] stations along the Babylon Branch]]

The [[South Side Railroad of Long Island]] in the 1860s built what was to become the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The Babylon Branch as a separate operational entity began as the electrification of the Montauk Branch between Valley Stream and Babylon on May 20, 1925. Eventually, this would also include the former "[[Cedarhurst Cut-off|Springfield Branch]]" which the Montauk Branch was relocated to northeast of [[Springfield Junction (Long Island Rail Road)|Springfield Junction]].

=== Grade-separation project ===
[[File:Signal gantry before crossover on LIRR Babylon Line.jpg|left|thumb|Color light signals on the Babylon line]]
The tracks were elevated from ground level between 1950 and 1980. Elevation of the line sparked grass-roots efforts to preserve the previous versions of Wantagh and Lindenhurst Stations, the former of which resulted in the creation of the [[Wantagh Railroad Museum]]. The last station to be elevated on the branch was [[Massapequa Park (LIRR station)|Massapequa Park]] on December 13, 1980.<ref>[http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/crossingeliminations/crossingeliminations.htm LIRR Grade Crossing Elimination Projects (TraisnAreFun.com)]</ref>

On December 30, 1968, the first revenue train of [[M1/M3 (railcar)|M1]] cars departed Babylon for Penn Station. In anticipation, all stations that were still at grade level had their platforms converted from low-level to high-level (an increase of 4 feet) from late-1967 to late-1968 in time for when the fleet went into service. Stations that were still at-grade at the time were Lindenhurst, Copiague, Amityville, Massapequa Park, Bellmore, and Merrick. The former three's grade separation projects had just gotten underway a few months prior, while Massapequa Park was still at-grade and the latter two were being prepared for their projects. All stations that had been elevated were equipped with single high-level island platforms, except for Babylon, which had two platforms. The call for high-level platforms was due to the M1 lacking steps that the fleet they were replacing had, and to make travel times quicker by several minutes.

Work on grade separation began in 1970. The stretch of track between Amityville and Lindenhurst was grade-separated, with new high-level platforms on elevated viaducts, on August 7, 1973.<ref>{{cite web | last=Burks | first=Edward C. | title=L.I.R.R. to offer Smoother Ride Today | website=The New York Times | date=August 7, 1973 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/07/archives/lirr-to-offer-smoother-ride-today.html | access-date=January 2, 2019}}</ref> At the same time, the stretch of track through Bellmore and Merrick was grade-separated, which was completed on June 28, 1975.

In 1977, work began on the $29.5 million project to elevate the line through Massapequa Park to eliminate the three remaining grade crossings. As part of the project, the platform at Massapequa was lengthened to accommodate twelve-car trains, meaning all stations on the branch could accommodate at least ten cars. The platform extension was completed in January 1980.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 22, 1980|title=LIRR Platform Extended|work=Newsday|location=Hempstead, New York|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81399442/massapequa-platform-extension/|access-date=July 15, 2021|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> This grade-separation project was completed on December 13, 1980.

In October 1986, work began to extend the platform at Baldwin from being ten cars long to being twelve-cars long. As part of the project, a temporary wooden platform at the station's eastern end would be demolished and replaced by a {{Convert|300|foot|meters}}-long concrete slab. Work was expected to be completed in three months. Platform extensions had already been completed at Rockville Centre, Freeport, Merrick, and Wantagh.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 12, 1986|title=Train Station Work|work=Newsday|location=Hempstead, New York|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81398471/platform-extensions-for-12-car-trains/|access-date=July 15, 2021|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

=== Station renovations ===
Since the 1990s, many station houses along the branch have been rebuilt, including the entire platforms at Seaford from July 2008 to July 2009, Massapequa from late 2013 to mid-2015, and Wantagh from late 2016 to late 2018. Additionally, from July 2007 to April 10, 2011, the signals, switches, and gantries were replaced between Wantagh and Amityville, with color light signals replacing the old position-light signals installed during the elevation of that section in 1973.

A [[pocket track]] was built east of the Massapequa station between the two tracks. This was to be completed by Spring 2016, but was pushed back to April 2019.<ref name="Nov 2017">{{cite report|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/archive/140623_1345_CPOC.pdf#page=35 |title=MTA Long Island Rail Road Committee Meeting |date=November 2017 |access-date=May 24, 2018|location=New York|publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |page=35}}</ref>

Plans for the future include the modernization of Babylon Interlocking, viaduct track replacement at certain stations, replacement of platforms, escalators, and elevators at Babylon. In November 2022, the MTA announced that intends to install elevators at Massapequa Park, Amityville, Copiague, and Lindenhurst stations and thus make them ADA accessible;<ref name="Nov22">{{cite press release |url=https://new.mta.info/press-release/mta-announces-accessibility-upgrades-multiple-subway-and-lirr-stations |title=MTA Announces Accessibility Upgrades at Multiple Subway and LIRR Stations |date=November 30, 2022 |access-date=December 9, 2022 |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|location=New York}}</ref> these are the only four stations on the branch that are not currently ADA accessible.

==Stations==
West of {{lirrs|Lynbrook}}, most trips go on to terminate at [[Grand Central Madison|Grand Central]] or {{lirrs|Penn Station}}, with some trips ending at {{lirrs|Jamaica}} or {{lirrs|Hunterspoint Avenue}}.<ref name="timetable" />
{| class="wikitable"
!Zone<ref name=zone>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/lirr/about/TicketInfo/Fares.htm |title=New Fares — Effective April 21, 2019 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref>
!Location
!Station
![[Railway milepost|Miles (km)]]<br />from [[Long Island City station|Long Island City]]<ref name="ett-20120514" />
!Date<br/>opened
!Date<br/>closed
!Connections&nbsp;/ notes
|-
|3
|[[St. Albans, Queens]]
|{{lirrs|St. Albans}}<br /><small>(limited service)</small>
|{{convert|11.8|mi|abbr=values}}
|1898<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/LIRR%20Station%20History.htm |title=Long Island Railroad Station History (TrainsAreFun.com) |access-date=September 4, 2014 |archive-date=January 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106043505/http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/LIRR%20Station%20History.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|
|[[New York City Bus]]: {{NYC bus link|Q4}}
|-
|4
|[[Lynbrook, New York|Lynbrook]]
|{{lirrs|Lynbrook}} {{LIRR acc}}<br /><small>(limited service)<ref name="timetable" /></small>
|{{convert|17.7|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867<ref name="Seyfried">[[Vincent F. Seyfried]], [[wikisource:The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I.|The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I.]], © 1961</ref>
|
|[[Long Island Rail Road]]: [[Long Beach Branch]]<br />[[Nassau Inter-County Express]]: {{LI bus link|n4|n25/58|n31|n31x|n32}}<br />Originally named Pearsall's Corners, then Pearsall's
|-
| rowspan="10" |7
|[[Rockville Centre, New York|Rockville Centre]]
|{{lirrs|Rockville Centre}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|19.3|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867
|
|Nassau Inter-County Express: {{LI bus link|n15|n16|n31x}}, Mercy Medical Shuttle
|-
|[[Baldwin, Nassau County, New York|Baldwin]]
|{{lirrs|Baldwin}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|21.3|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867
|
|Nassau Inter-County Express: {{LI bus link|n35}}<br />Originally named Baldwinsville,<ref>[http://arrts-arrchives.com/ssrrbaldwin.html Baldwinsville Station (Arrt's Arrchives)]</ref> then Baldwins
|-
|[[Freeport, New York|Freeport]]
|{{lirrs|Freeport}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|22.6|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867
|
|Nassau Inter-County Express: {{LI bus link|n4|n19|n19x|n40|n40x|n41|n43|n88x|}}
|-
|[[Merrick, New York|Merrick]]
|{{lirrs|Merrick}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|24.3|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867
|
|
|-
|[[Bellmore, New York|Bellmore]]
|{{lirrs|Bellmore}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|25.4|mi|abbr=values}}
|1869
|
|
|-
|[[Wantagh, New York|Wantagh]]
|{{lirrs|Wantagh}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|26.5|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867
|
|Originally named Ridgewood
|-
|[[Seaford, New York|Seaford]]
|{{lirrs|Seaford}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|27.7|mi|abbr=values}}
|1899
|
|Nassau Inter-County Express: {{LI bus link|n54}}
|-
|[[Massapequa, New York|Massapequa]]
|{{lirrs|Massapequa}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|28.6|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867
|
|Nassau Inter-County Express: {{LI bus link|n54|n55|n80}}<br />Originally named South Oyster Bay
|-
|[[Massapequa Park, New York|Massapequa Park]]
|{{lirrs|Massapequa Park}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|29.4|mi|abbr=values}}
|1933
|
|Nassau Inter-County Express: {{LI bus link|n54|n55|n80}}
|- bgcolor="dfdfdf"
|[[East Massapequa, New York|East Massapequa]]
|{{lirrs|Unqua}}
|
|1880
|1881
|
|-
| rowspan="5" |9
|[[Amityville, New York|Amityville]]
|{{lirrs|Amityville}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|31.3|mi|abbr=values}}
|1868
|
|Nassau Inter-County Express: {{LI bus link|n54|n55|n71}}<br/>[[Suffolk County Transit]]: {{LI bus link|1|2|4|10}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Copiague, New York|Copiague]]
|{{lirrs|Copiague}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|32.4|mi|abbr=values}}
|1902
|
|
|- bgcolor="dfdfdf"
|{{lirrs|Belmont Junction}}
|
|1875
|1876
|
|-
|[[Lindenhurst, New York|Lindenhurst]]
|{{lirrs|Lindenhurst}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|33.7|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867
|
|Suffolk County Transit: {{LI bus link|10}}<br />Originally named Wellwood, then Breslau
|-
|[[Babylon (village), New York|Babylon]]
|{{lirrs|Babylon}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{convert|36.6|mi|abbr=values}}
|1867<ref name="Seyfried" />
|
|Long Island Rail Road: [[Montauk Branch]]<br />Suffolk County Transit: {{LI bus link|2|3|5|10|15}}<br />Originally named Seaside<ref name="Seyfried" />
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{attached KML|display=inline,title}}
{{Commons category-inline|Babylon Branch (Long Island Rail Road)}}
*[http://world.nycsubway.org/us/lirr/lirr-babylon.html world.nycsubway.org: Babylon Branch]
*[http://thelirrtoday.blogspot.com/search/label/Babylon%20Branch Babylon Branch (The LIRR Today)]

{{Long Island Rail Road}}

[[Category:Long Island Rail Road branches]]
[[Category:Transportation in Nassau County, New York]]
[[Category:Transportation in Suffolk County, New York]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1867]]