Babylon Branch

Babylon Branch
Babylon Branch train #108 departs the Lynbrook station, bound for Babylon.
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerLong Island Rail Road
LocaleNassau and Suffolk County, New York, USA
Termini
Stations14
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemLong Island Rail Road
Services
Operator(s)Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Ridership11,606,943 (annual ridership, 2023)[1]
History
Opened1867 (as part of the Southern Railroad of Long Island)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationThird rail750 V DC
Route map
Map
Zone 1
Zone 3
9.0 mi
14.5 km
Jamaica
"E" train​​"J" train"Z" train
11.8 mi
19 km
St. Albans
Zone 3
Zone 4
16.1 mi
25.9 km
17.7 mi
28.5 km
Lynbrook
Zone 4
Zone 7
19.3 mi
31.1 km
Rockville Centre
21.3 mi
34.3 km
Baldwin
22.6 mi
36.4 km
Freeport
24.3 mi
39.1 km
Merrick
25.4 mi
40.9 km
Bellmore
26.5 mi
42.6 km
Wantagh
27.7 mi
44.6 km
Seaford
28.6 mi
46 km
Massapequa
29.4 mi
47.3 km
Massapequa Park
Zone 7
Zone 9
31.3 mi
50.4 km
Amityville
32.4 mi
52.1 km
Copiague
33.7 mi
54.2 km
Lindenhurst
36.6 mi
58.9 km
Babylon
Distances shown from Long Island City via the Lower Montauk Branch

The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon; in other words, the Babylon Branch is a rail service rather than an actual track. The 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 Interlocking); St. Albans, the only stop on the Montauk Branch west of 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 between Belmont Junction west of Babylon station and a junction at Beth Interlocking on the Main Line southeast of Bethpage Station, running to New York City via the Main Line.[3][4] On weekends, Babylon Branch trains typically stop at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens in the eastbound direction as opposed to other Main Line trains that serve other branches.[4]

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.

  1. ^ "2023 ANNUAL RIDERSHIP REPORT". mta.info. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. IV. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "MTA Railroads Map". New York: Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  4. ^ a b "LIRR Babylon Branch Timetable". New York: Metropolitan Transportation Authority.