The Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at the Main Line at Queens Interlocking, just east of Elmont–UBS Arena station. It parallels the Main Line past Bellerose to Floral Park, where it splits southward and continues east via the village of Garden City to Hempstead Crossing. There it turns south to the final two stations, Country Life Press and Hempstead.
LIRR maps and schedules show Hempstead Branch service continuing west along the Main Line to Jamaica. Hempstead Branch trains provide most service at Hollis and Queens Village. The line is double tracked to just east of Garden City Station, where it is reduced to one track at Garden Interlocking for the final to Hempstead station.
History
The original Hempstead Branch of the LIRR ran south from Mineola, ending just west of the current terminal in Hempstead.Map showing the route & connections of the Central Rail Road Extension Company of Long Island, 1873 It opened on July 4, 1839, as the first branch of the LIRR. , June 2004 Edition
The Central Railroad of Long Island opened from Flushing east to Hempstead Crossing and south to Hempstead on January 8, 1873; the main line east from Hempstead Crossing opened later that year on May 26. , February 2005 Edition CRRLI extended their line east to Bethpage, Farmingdale, and Babylon resulting in the creation of their own Hempstead Branch running parallel to the one owned by the LIRR. The Central Railroad's successor, the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad, was leased to the LIRR on May 3, 1876, and in June a connection at Hempstead Crossing was built, allowing trains from Mineola to use the ex-Central's Hempstead Branch; the original LIRR Hempstead Branch was abandoned south of Hempstead Crossing. , April 2006 Edition
The old Central main line through Hempstead was named the Central Branch by the LIRR, while the line from Mineola on the LIRR's Main Line south past Hempstead Crossing to Hempstead was the Hempstead Branch.Pennsylvania Railroad, Long Island Railroad map , 1941 The New York Bay Extension Railroad opened the current West Hempstead Branch in 1893,Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Report, Long Island Railroad resulting in a realignment of the Hempstead Branch from Hempstead Crossing south to Meadow Street to better connect to the new line.Arrt's Arrchives: Hempstead Crossing
Electric service on the current route of the Hempstead Branch, from Queens Village east along the Main Line and Central Branch and south along the Hempstead Branch to Hempstead, was inaugurated on May 26, 1908. In 1910, the branch's connection to the Main Line was double-tracked. The then-Hempstead Branch north to Mineola was electrified on October 20, 1926, along with the West Hempstead Branch. , June 2004 Edition
The line north of Hempstead Crossing last saw passenger service on September 14, 1935, , August 2004 Edition and was abandoned for freight in 1965. , June 2004 Edition Park Interlocking at Floral Park was eliminated in the circa-1960 grade crossing elimination; Hempstead Branch trains switch off the Main Line at Queens Interlocking, just east of Elmont–UBS Arena station, and continue next to it to Floral Park.Floral Park Station History (TrainsAreFun)
Since the opening of the East River Tunnels in 1910 and until 2023, westbound service on the Hempstead Branch and its predecessors primarily terminated at Penn Station in Manhattan or Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. Following the opening of Grand Central Madison, the primary terminal and origin of Hempstead Branch trains became Grand Central Madison. Hempstead trains now service both Penn and Grand Central on and off peak. This service change caused a decrease in service to Atlantic Terminal and thus to compensate and to allow for a few peak cross-platform-transfers at Jamaica for Brooklyn-bound customers, some peak trains from Hempstead service Atlantic Terminal directly.
Projects
Stations
West of , most trips go on to terminate at or , with some trips ending at . ZoneLocationStationfrom DateopenedDateclosedConnections and notes3Jamaica, QueensHillside Facility July 22, 1991 Employees-only stationHollis, Queens1885 New York City Bus: MTA Bus: Queens Village, Queens18371972Originally named Flushing Avenue, then Brushville, then Interstate Park, then Brushville Road 1881 New York City Bus: MTA Bus: Nassau Inter-County Express: 4Elmont November 20, 2021 (eastbound)October 6, 2022 (westbound) New York City Bus: MTA Bus: Nassau Inter-County Express: Floral Park1898 1878: (limited service)Garden City 1873 Nassau Inter-County Express: 1907 Adelphi University Shuttle 1872 Nassau Inter-County Express: 1911HempsteadRosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center 1872 Nassau Inter-County Express: Mercy Medical Shuttle Greyhound Bus
References
External links
NYCSubway.org: Hempstead Branch Hempstead Branch (The LIRR Today)