View source for City Terminal Zone

{{Short description|Collection of Long Island Rail Road branches}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = City Terminal Zone
| color                           = {{rcr|LIRR|City Terminal Zone}}
| image                           = LIRR train crossing Borden Av jeh.JPG
| image_width                     = 300px
| caption                         = Westbound view of the line at the Borden Avenue grade crossing, looking west towards [[Long Island City station|Long Island City]].
| type                            = [[Commuter rail]]
| system                          = [[Long Island Rail Road]]
| status                          = Operational
| locale                          = [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States
| start                           = '''Western termini:'''<br />[[Atlantic Terminal]]<br />[[Hunterspoint Avenue station (LIRR)|Hunterspoint Avenue]]<br />[[Long Island City (LIRR station)|Long Island City]]<br />[[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Penn Station]]<br />[[Grand Central Madison station|Grand Central Madison]]
| end                             = '''Eastern termini:'''<br />[[Woodside station (LIRR)|Woodside]] ([[Port Washington Branch]])<br /> [[Jamaica station|Jamaica]] (all other lines)
| stations                        = 12 (11 passenger, 1 employees-only)<br />1 future station
| routes                          = {{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=City Terminal Zone}}
{{rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Belmont Park}}
{{rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Babylon}}
{{rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Far Rockaway}}
{{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Hempstead}}
{{rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Long Beach}}
{{rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Montauk}}
{{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Oyster Bay}}
{{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Port Jefferson}}
{{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Port Washington}}
{{Rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Ronkonkoma}}
{{rail color box|system=LIRR|line=West Hempstead}}
| daily_ridership                 = 
| open                            = 
| owner                           = [[Long Island Rail Road]]
| operator                        = [[Long Island Rail Road]]
| stock                           = 
| linelength                      = 
| tracklength                     = 
| tracks                          = 
| gauge                           = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| electrification                 = {{750 V DC|conductor=third rail}} (electrified portions)
| speed                           = 
| elevation                       = 
| map                             = {{City Terminal Zone LIRR}}
| map_state                       = collapsed
}}
The '''City Terminal Zone''' is the set of [[Long Island Rail Road]] lines within [[New York City]] west of [[Jamaica station]], except the [[Port Washington Branch]].

== Routes ==

=== Current routes ===
There are four routes that are part of the City Terminal Zone:<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-02-16|title=City Terminal Zone Timetable|url=https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/inline-files/CityTerminalBranch.pdf|access-date=2020-08-16|publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]|location=[[New York City|New York]]}}</ref>
* [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|New York Penn Station]] (NYP) – Trains that, from Jamaica, travel west along the [[Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)|Main Line]] to Penn Station in Manhattan via the [[East River Tunnels]].
* [[Grand Central Madison]] (GCM) – Trains that travel along the [[Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)|Main Line]] to Grand Central Madison via [[East Side Access]], which includes the lower level of the [[63rd Street Tunnel]] and a new tunnel under [[Park Avenue]].<ref name="mta-esa28">{{Cite book| url=http://web.mta.info/capital/esa_docs/feisfiles/28_comments_and_responses.pdf|title=East Side Access Environmental Impact Statement|date=March 2001|location=New York|publisher=[[MTA Capital Construction]]|chapter=Chapter 28: Comments and Responses on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement|access-date=February 2, 2018}}</ref> Due to clearance restrictions in the tunnel, the [[C3 (railcar)|C3 bilevel]] cars cannot access the terminal.<ref name="mta-esa28" />
* [[Atlantic Terminal]] (AT) – Trains that travel along the [[Atlantic Branch]] to Brooklyn.
* [[Long Island City station|Long Island City]] (LIC) – Trains that serve [[Hunterspoint Avenue station (LIRR)|Hunterspoint Avenue]] and Long Island City in Queens. These trains also use the Main Line west of Jamaica, but typically skip [[Woodside station (LIRR)|Woodside]], [[Forest Hills station (LIRR)|Forest Hills]], and [[Kew Gardens station (LIRR)|Kew Gardens]]. This route is served only during weekday rush hours in the peak direction (to Long Island City in the morning, from Long Island City in the afternoon).

=== Former routes ===
The City Terminal Zone formerly included the [[Lower Montauk Branch]] from Long Island City to Jamaica until passenger service on that route was discontinued in November 2012. This line formerly included [[Penny Bridge station|Penny Bridge]], [[Haberman station|Haberman]], [[Fresh Pond station|Fresh Pond]], [[Glendale station (LIRR)|Glendale]], and [[Richmond Hill station (LIRR)|Richmond Hill stations]] until they were closed in March 1998.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sengupta|first=Somini|date=March 15, 1998|title=End of the Line for L.I.R.R.'s 10 Loneliest Stops|language=en|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/15/nyregion/end-of-the-line-for-lirr-s-10-loneliest-stops.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-08-16}}</ref>

== Stations ==
East of {{lirrs|Jamaica}}, trains continue in Long Island on the Main Line ([[Hempstead Branch|Hempstead]], [[Oyster Bay Branch|Oyster Bay]], [[Port Jefferson Branch|Port Jefferson]], [[Ronkonkoma Branch|Ronkonkoma]]), Atlantic Branch ([[Far Rockaway Branch|Far Rockaway]] and [[Long Beach Branch|Long Beach]]), and Montauk Branch ([[West Hempstead Branch|West Hempstead]], [[Babylon Branch|Babylon]], [[Montauk Branch|Montauk]]).

The Atlantic Terminal, Nostrand Avenue, and East New York stations are primarily served by a shuttle running between Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica. These stations are also served by select trains on the West Hempstead Branch on weekdays only, and a limited number of weekday peak trains from the Hempstead and Babylon branches. Other trains traveling east of Jamaica only run to Penn Station, Grand Central Madison, or Long Island City.<ref name="ABC7 New York 20230227">{{cite web |date=February 27, 2023 |title=LIRR full service begins Monday, 2/27, at Grand Central Madison; train schedules to change |url=https://abc7ny.com/lirr-train-schedule-grand-central-madison-opens/12887154/ |access-date=February 27, 2023 |website=ABC7 New York}}</ref><ref name="Castillo 20230227">{{cite web |last=Castillo |first=Alfonso A. |date=February 26, 2023 |title=East Side Access completed, LIRR riders get full service to Grand Central Madison Monday |url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/grand-central-madison-east-side-access-lirr-gpwsijw3 |access-date=February 27, 2023 |website=Newsday}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" |Zone
! colspan="4" |Routes
! rowspan="2" |Location
! rowspan="2" |Station
! rowspan="2" |Connections and notes
|-
! width="2%" |NYP
! width="2%" |GCM
! width="2%" |AT
! width="2%" |LIC
|-
| rowspan="11" |1
| align="center" |■
|
|
|
| rowspan="2" |[[Midtown Manhattan]]
|[[New York Penn Station|Pennsylvania Station]] {{LIRR acc}}
|{{ric|Amtrak|name=y}} (long-distance): {{lnl|Amtrak|Cardinal}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Crescent}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Lake Shore Limited}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Palmetto}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Silver Meteor}}<br />{{rint|us|amtrak}} Amtrak (intercity): {{lnl|Amtrak|Acela}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Adirondack}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Carolinian}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Empire Service}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Ethan Allen Express}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Keystone Service}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Maple Leaf}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Pennsylvanian}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Vermonter}}<br />{{rint|njt}} [[NJ Transit Rail]]: {{rcb|NJ Transit|Gladstone|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|Montclair-Boonton|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|Morristown|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|Northeast Corridor|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|North Jersey Coast|inline=square}}, {{rcb|NJ Transit|Raritan Valley|inline=square}} <br />{{rint|newyork|subway}} [[New York City Subway|NYC Subway]]: {{NYCS Broadway-Seventh south|time=bullets}}{{NYCS Eighth south|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} [[NYCT Bus]]
|-
|
| align="center" |■
|
| 
|[[Grand Central Madison]] {{LIRR acc}}
|{{ric|Metro-North Railroad|name=y}}: {{rcb|Metro-North Railroad|Harlem|inline=square}}, {{rcb|Metro-North Railroad|Hudson|inline=square}}, {{rcb|Metro-North Railroad|New Haven|inline=square}}<br/>{{rint|newyork|subway}} [[New York City Subway|NYC Subway]]: {{NYCS Grand Central|time=bullets}}
|-
|
|
|
| align="center" |■
| rowspan="2" |[[Long Island City, Queens]]
|[[Long Island City station|Long Island City]] {{LIRR acc}}
|{{rint|newyork|subway}} NYC Subway: {{NYCS Flushing|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} [[MTA Bus]]<br />{{rint|ferry}} [[NYC Ferry]]: East River
|-
|
|
|
| align="center" |■
|[[Hunterspoint Avenue station (LIRR)|Hunterspoint Avenue]]
|{{rint|newyork|subway}} New York City Subway: {{NYCS Flushing|time=bullets}}{{NYCS Crosstown|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} MTA Bus, NYCT Bus
|-
| align="center" |■
| align="center" |■
|
|
|[[Woodside, Queens]]
|[[Woodside station (LIRR)|Woodside]] {{LIRR acc}}
|{{ric|Long Island Rail Road|name=y}}: {{rcb|LIRR|Port Washington|inline=square}}<br />{{rint|newyork|subway}} NYC Subway: {{NYCS Flushing|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} MTA Bus, NYCT Bus
|-
| align="center" |■
| align="center" |■
| 
|
|[[Forest Hills, Queens]]
|[[Forest Hills station (LIRR)|Forest Hills]] {{LIRR acc}}
|{{rint|newyork|subway}} NYC Subway: {{NYCS Queens|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} MTA Bus
|-
| align="center" |■
| align="center" |■
|
|
|[[Kew Gardens, Queens]]
|[[Kew Gardens station (LIRR)|Kew Gardens]]
|{{bus icon}} MTA Bus, NYCT Bus
|-
|
|
| align="center" |■
|
|[[Downtown Brooklyn]]
|{{lirrs|Atlantic Terminal}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{rint|newyork|subway}} NYC Subway: {{NYCS Atlantic-Pacific|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} NYCT Bus
|-
|
|
| align="center" |■
|
|[[Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn]]
|{{lirrs|Nostrand Avenue}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{rint|newyork|subway}} New York City Subway: {{NYCS Fulton|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} NYCT Bus
|-
|
|
| align="center" |■
|
|[[East New York, Brooklyn]]
|{{lirrs|East New York}}
|{{rint|newyork|subway}} New York City Subway: {{NYCS Broadway Junction|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} NYCT Bus
|-
|
|
| align="center" |■
|
|[[Richmond Hill, Queens]]
|[[Morris Park Facility|Boland's Landing]]
|Employees only
|-
|3
| align="center" |■
| align="center" |■
| align="center" |■
| align="center" |■
|[[Jamaica, Queens]]
|{{lirrs|Jamaica}} {{LIRR acc}}
|{{ric|LIRR|name=y}}: {{rcb|LIRR|Babylon|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|Far Rockaway|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|Hempstead|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|Long Beach|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|Montauk|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|Oyster Bay|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|Port Jefferson|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|Ronkonkoma|inline=square}}, {{rcb|LIRR|West Hempstead|inline=square}}<br />{{rint|newyork|subway}} NYC Subway: {{NYCS Archer|time=bullets}}<br />{{bus icon}} MTA Bus, NYCT Bus, [[Nassau Inter-County Express]]<br />{{ric|PANYNJ|AirTrain JFK|name=y}}: {{rcb|PANYNJ|Jamaica Train|inline=square}}
|}
{{clear}}

=== Future stations ===
The MTA planned a [[Sunnyside station (New York)|new station in Sunnyside, Queens]], once [[East Side Access]] was completed.<ref>{{cite web | last=Kaufman | first=Maya | title=Queens Officials Renew Call For Sunnyside LIRR Station | website=Queens, NY Patch | date=February 11, 2019 | url=https://patch.com/new-york/queens/queens-officials-renew-call-sunnyside-lirr-station | access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Kully | first=Sadef Ali | title=Immediate Steps Seen for Sunnyside Development Plan | website=City Limits | date=March 10, 2020 | url=https://citylimits.org/2020/03/10/immediate-steps-seen-for-sunnyside-development-plan/ | access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref> The MTA later proposed in their 20-year needs assessment for 2025 to 2044 that Sunnyside station serve both the LIRR and the Metro-North Railroad, with the latter providing service to Penn Station after [[Penn Station Access]] is completed.<ref>{{cite web |title=MTA's 2025-2044 20-Year Needs Assessment |url=https://new.mta.info/20YN |website=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=July 28, 2022}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Long Island Rail Road stations]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{attached KML|display=inline,title}}
*[http://web.mta.info/lirr/Timetable/Branch/CityTerminalBranch.pdf City Terminal Zone branch timetable]

{{Long Island Rail Road}}

[[Category:Long Island Rail Road branches]]
[[Category:Transportation in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Transportation in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Transportation in Queens, New York]]