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Long island rail road trip planner5/28/2023 ![]() On Jthe 96-mile route between Brooklyn and Greenport was completed with special excursions held to mark the occasion (official service commenced on July 29th).Īccording to Rae Ediger's article, " Long Island Rail Road" from the March, 1949 issue of Trains Magazine, the rail-water route reduced the previously all-water trip between New York and Boston from sixteen hours to about eight. However, the road would rebound from this early gaffe. In short, the original vision for the Long Island Rail Road proved a failure. The central region contained easier grades but the coastline offered greater freight and passenger potential. The LIRR's promoters further erred when they engineered a line through the island's uninhabited center instead of running closer to the more widely settled northern shore. Today, it remains a busy component of Amtrak as part of the Northeast Corridor (NEC). This route became part of the New Haven's "Shore Line," handling thousands of commuters, and heavy freight tonnage, on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this theory proved incorrect as predecessors of the later New York, New Haven & Hartford did open rail service to New York prior to 1850. The LIRR's promoters felt their railroad held true promise given that engineers believed an all-terrain rail route between New York and Boston, running the southern shores of Connecticut and Rhode Island, was an impossibility due to the topography and river valleys. This line handled the business to Providence, Boston, and other points in New England. From there, steamship service (provided by Cornelius Vanderbilt's company, he would later sit on the railroad's board) was employed across Block Island Sound to interchange freight and passengers with the Old Colony Railroad at Stonington, Connecticut. The LIRR planned a route through the island's center and terminate at the eastern tip near Greenport. On April 24, 1834, the Long Island Rail Road Company was formed by investors in New York and Boston to lease the B&J and continue pushing rails eastward. Interestingly, the B&J never actually commenced operations under its own name or management. It was the first railroad on Long Island and opened on April 18, 1836. The LIRR's earliest history dates back to Apwhen the Brooklyn & Jamaica Railroad Company was incorporated to connect Brooklyn and Jamaica, a distance of ten miles. Some came to escape the hectic city life while others vacationed at the beaches. However, that changed towards in the following decades when improved transportation (ferries, trolleys, and streetcars) witnessed evermore folks journeying to the island. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Hicksville - South Farmingdale - Greenport ![]() Jamaica - Lindenhurst - Westhampton - Montaukįar Rockaway - Valley Stream - West Hempstead Long Island City - Woodside - Elmhurst - Jamaica Long Island City - Hunterspoint Avenue - Jamaica Photosīrooklyn & Jamaica Railroad Company (April 25, 1832) The "glory days" of the LIRR, a brief summary of which is presented here, may be behind it but the railroad remains an important transportation artery for the New York region. The LIRR currently maintains over 300 miles, serves 124 stations, and transports more than 300,000 weekday commuters across its system. The current system provides only passenger service while freight is now handled by the New York & Atlantic Railway, a private subsidiary of Anacostia & Pacific. The " Route Of The Dashing Commuter " may seem like just another suburban railroad but it carries a rich history of serving Long Island utilizing an eclectic fleet of locomotives. Today's LIRR has lost any semblance of independence as a ward of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) it provides commuter rail service between its home island and our nation's largest city. The Long Island Rail Road (as-spelled) is one of the oldest still in operation today with a charter dating back to the 1830s! ![]()
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