Ronkonkoma Branch

Template:Short description The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, the "Ronkonkoma Branch" includes trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksville (where the Port Jefferson Branch leaves the Main Line) to Ronkonkoma, and between Ronkonkoma and the Main Line's eastern terminus at Greenport. The section of the Main Line east of Ronkonkoma is not electrified and is referred to as the Greenport Branch.

The western segment between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma sees 24-hour service to Penn Station and Grand Central Madison in New York City. The eastern segment between Ronkonkoma and Greenport is served by diesel-electric trains, and only sees a handful of trips each day. The eastern segment is also the only dark territory area of the Long Island Rail Road, meaning that it does not have signals.

Segments

Hicksville to Ronkonkoma

File:LIRR EMD DM30AC 515 pushing Train 8054.jpg

Train #8054 at Farmingdale, using diesel locomotives due to construction

The western segment of the line from Hicksville to Ronkonkoma was electrified in 1987, creating a one-seat ride to Penn Station. Formerly, service on this segment was provided by diesel trains, which could not enter Penn Station, requiring a transfer. Average rush-hour trip time from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station decreased from 97 minutes pre-electrification (including the mandatory transfer from a diesel to an electric train) to 71 minutes afterwards.

The $168.5 million project attracted many new passengers. A survey of peak-hour Ronkonkoma Branch passengers conducted by the LIRR in April 1988 found that 42 percent of the branch's passengers were new to the line: 34 percent switched from other lines (the Port Jefferson and Montauk Branches), 6 percent were new to the LIRR as a whole and 2 percent recently returned to the LIRR. By September 1988, over 2,000 new riders during the morning rush hour had switched to the Ronkonkoma Branch, much of which occurred in the first month after electrification, faster than the LIRR expected. Commuters complained that the expanded parking facilities at Ronkonkoma built in anticipation of electrification were overcrowded and already inadequate, and that double-parking and vandalism were rampant.

In the decades since, the amount of parking at Ronkonkoma has expanded. In 2012, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) started adding a second track to the line between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma to increase capacity. The project was ultimately completed in 2018.

Greenport Branch

File:LD block limit Riverhead station 240727.jpg

Block limit marker at Riverhead station, in unelectrified dark territory

The segment between Template:Lirrs and Template:Lirrs, known as the Greenport Branch, is the only remaining dark territory area on the Long Island Rail Road, meaning that it does not have signals. The relatively small amount of train movements on this segment are governed by train orders and timetable authority. This segment is served by diesel-electric "scoots", all of which terminate at Ronkonkoma, requiring customers traveling west of Ronkonkoma to transfer there. Three eastbound and four westbound scoots travel each weekday between Ronkonkoma and Greenport. Also, one additional round trip is scheduled between Ronkonkoma and Riverhead (formerly Template:Lirrs) each weekday. Weekend service consists of four round-trips each day between Ronkonkoma and Greenport. On Fridays during the summer, the eastbound trip to Riverhead is extended to Greenport, and the westbound run from Riverhead to Ronkonkoma does not operate. Also, during summers between 2016 and 2022, an additional evening trip ran from Greenport to Template:Lirrs, running express between Ronkonkoma and Jamaica; this was the only Greenport scoot trip to serve the New York City terminals.

The Greenport Branch has the most modest ridership among LIRR services for which data is available. In 2018, the LIRR's second–least used service (the West Hempstead Branch) had more than 14 times as many riders as the Greenport Branch did; in the same year, Greenport Branch riders accounted for 0.08% of LIRR ridership overall. The LIRR has cited these ridership trends in attempts to end service east of Ronkonkoma. In 2010, the idea was entertained by the financially troubled MTA, who proposed eliminating all scoot service except for the popular summer weekend service. Ultimately, weekday service remained, but weekend service outside of the summer season (defined as Memorial Day-Columbus Day) was discontinued. In 2013, the span of weekend service was extended to operate from the first weekend in May to the last weekend in November. In 2016, the LIRR restored year-long weekend service between Ronkonkoma and Greenport.

Central Branch

Some LIRR maps also include as part of the Ronkonkoma Branch the non-electrified Central Branch, which splits from the Ronkonkoma Branch east of Bethpage and connects with the more southern Montauk Branch, just west of Babylon. There are no stations along this stretch, and it is mainly used by trains with diesel-electric engines going express from Jamaica to Babylon. No trains using this track appear on Ronkonkoma Branch schedules; they appear on Montauk Branch and Babylon Branch schedules, and some appear on schedules for Mineola and Hicksville on the Main Line, if a stop is scheduled there.

History and current projects

Greenport enhancements

Despite proposing to eliminate most service east of Ronkonkoma, the MTA is enhancing the segment's infrastructure. The LIRR is required to install a positive train control signaling system on all its trackage by the end of 2018. The MTA initially budgeted $29 million in its 2015–2019 capital program to add signals along the 10 mile segment from Ronkonkoma to Yaphank. This upgrade would install signals, track circuits and automatic speed control (ASC). However, in a 2017 amendment of the capital program, the agency postponed the construction of the new signal system, only including $2 million to fund design. After positive train control was activated on the easternmost portion of the Montauk Branch in November 2017, the Greenport Branch became the only portion of the LIRR that lacked positive train control.

In its 2015–2034 20-Year Capital Needs Assessment, the MTA describes extending electrification eastward from Ronkonkoma to Yaphank or Riverhead, as well as the addition of a second track between Ronkonkoma and Yaphank as long-term needs. However, the MTA cites the high cost of electrification and other components as a barrier to present-day action. If electrification were to be extended eastward, stations would also need upgrading, since all station platforms east of Ronkonkoma are only long enough to fit one-and-a-half train cars.{{#section:Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)|ronkonkoma}}{{#section:Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)|thirdtrack}}

Stations

West of Template:Lirrs, trips typically terminate at Template:Lirrs or during rush hours, Template:Lirrs.

style="background:#Template:Rcr; color:white; text-align:left;" |Zone	style="background:#Template:Rcr; color:white; text-align:left;" |Location	style="background:#Template:Rcr; color:white; text-align:left;" |Station name	style="background:#Template:Rcr; color:white; text-align:left;" |Miles (km) from Long Island City	style="background:#Template:Rcr; color:white; text-align:left;" |Date opened	style="background:#Template:Rcr; color:white; text-align:left;" |Date closed	style="background:#Template:Rcr; color:white; text-align:left;" |Connections and notes
4	Mineola	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1837		Long Island Rail Road: Montauk, Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay branches Nassau Inter-County Express: Template:LI bus link Originally named Hempstead, then Branch or Hempstead Branch
7	Hicksville	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1837		Long Island Rail Road: Port Jefferson and Montauk branches Nassau Inter-County Express: Template:LI bus link
	Bethpage
		Template:Lirrs		1942	1985
		Template:Lirrs Disabled access		c. 1854		Originally named Jerusalem, then Central Park
		Bethpage Junction		1873
	Farmingdale	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1841		Nassau Inter-County Express: Template:LI bus link
9
		Template:Lirrs		1940	1987
	East Farmingdale	Template:Lirrs Disabled access (limited service)		c. 1890
	Wyandanch	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1875		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link Originally named West Deer Park, then Wyandance
	Baywood
		Template:Lirrs		1892	1914
		Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1842		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link Tanger Shuttle Bus
	Brentwood
		Template:Lirrs		1842	1869
		Template:Lirrs		1915	1986
10		Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1870		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link Originally named Modern Times
	Central Islip
		Template:Lirrs		1842	1873
		Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1873		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link
	Islandia	Template:Lirrs
	Ronkonkoma
		Template:Lirrs		1843	1883	Originally named Lake Road
		Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1883		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link Terminus of electrification, originally named Lake Ronkonkoma
		Template:Lirrs		1850
	Holbrook	Template:Lirrs		1907	1962
	Holtsville	Template:Lirrs		1843	1998	Originally named Waverly
	Medford	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		June 26, 1844		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link
	Yaphank
		Template:Lirrs		1844		Originally Bellport
		Template:Lirrs		June 26, 1844	1845
12		Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1844		Originally named Milleville, planned to be replaced by East Yaphank
	East Yaphank	Template:Lirrs		TBD		Planned replacement for Yaphank
		Template:Lirrs		June 26, 1844	1845
	Upton	Template:Lirrs		1918	1922
		Template:Lirrs		1917	1922
	Manorville	Template:Lirrs		c. 1847–1848
		Template:Lirrs		July 29, 1844	c. 1968	Originally named St. George's Manor, then Manor
	Calverton	Template:Lirrs		1852 1880	1858 c. 1958	Originally named Hulse Turnout, then Baiting Hollow
14	Riverhead	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		July 29, 1844		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link
	Aquebogue	Template:Lirrs		1892	1967
	Jamesport	Template:Lirrs		1844	1984
	Laurel	Template:Lirrs		1901	1967
	Mattituck	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		July 29, 1844		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link
	Cutchogue	Template:Lirrs		1844	1962
	Peconic	Template:Lirrs		1844	c. 1970	Originally named Hermitage
	Southold	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		1844		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link
	Greenport	Template:Lirrs Disabled access		July 29, 1844		Suffolk County Transit: Template:LI bus link North Ferry