Jamaica station

Jamaica
Track 3, Platform B at Jamaica station, looking west.
General information
Location	93-02 Sutphin Boulevard Jamaica, Queens, New York
Coordinates	40°41′59″N 73°48′28″W / 40.69972°N 73.80778°W / 40.69972; -73.80778
Line(s)	Main Line Atlantic Branch Montauk Branch
Distance	11.3 mi (18.2 km) from Penn Station 10.5 mi (16.9 km) from Grand Central Madison 9.3 mi (15.0 km) from Atlantic Terminal 9.3 mi (15.0 km) Long Island City via the Main Line 9.0 mi (14.5 km) from Long Island City via the Montauk Branch [1]
Platforms	6 island platforms (cross-platform interchange)
Tracks	10
Bus operators	MTA New York City Transit, Nassau Inter County Express
Connections	New York City Subway: ​​​ at Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport AirTrain JFK: Jamaica New York City Bus: Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q30, Q31, Q43, Q44 SBS, Q54, Q56 MTA Bus: Q6, Q8, Q9, Q25, Q34, Q40, Q41, Q60, Q65 Nassau Inter-County Express: n4
Construction
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	3
History
Opened	1836; 188 years ago (1836)
Rebuilt	1912–1913; 111 years ago (1913), 2001–2006; 18 years ago (2006)
Passengers
2017	over 200,000 on weekdays[2]
Rank	2 of 125[3]
Services Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station East New York toward Atlantic Terminal City Terminal Zone Atlantic shuttle Terminus Kew Gardens toward Penn Station or Grand Central Hempstead Branch Hollis toward Hempstead East New York toward Atlantic Terminal Woodside toward Penn Station or Grand Central Belmont Park Branch special events Belmont Park Terminus Kew Gardens toward Penn Station or Grand Central Long Beach Branch Locust Manor toward Long Beach East New York AM/PM peak service[4] toward Atlantic Terminal Penn Station Terminus Oyster Bay Branch Mineola toward Oyster Bay Hunterspoint Avenue limited service toward Long Island City Kew Gardens toward Penn Station or Grand Central Ronkonkoma Branch Mineola toward Ronkonkoma Elmont–UBS Arena limited service toward Ronkonkoma Penn Station Terminus Montauk Branch Babylon toward Montauk Hunterspoint Avenue limited service toward Long Island City Mineola limited service toward Montauk Penn Station Terminus Cannonball summers only Westhampton One-way operation Kew Gardens toward Penn Station or Grand Central Far Rockaway Branch Locust Manor toward Far Rockaway East New York AM/PM peak service[5] toward Atlantic Terminal Woodside toward Penn Station or Grand Central Babylon Branch Lynbrook toward Babylon East New York AM/PM peak service[6] toward Atlantic Terminal Kew Gardens toward Penn Station or Grand Central West Hempstead Branch St. Albans toward West Hempstead East New York toward Atlantic Terminal Kew Gardens toward Penn Station or Grand Central Port Jefferson Branch Floral Park toward Huntington or Port Jefferson Hunterspoint Avenue limited service toward Long Island City Hollis limited service toward Huntington or Port Jefferson East New York toward Atlantic Terminal See AirTrain JFK section for Jamaica Train service
Former services Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Dunton toward Long Island City or Penn Station Main Line Union Hall Street toward Greenport Dunton toward Long Island City Montauk Division Union Hall Street toward Montauk Dunton toward Flatbush Avenue Atlantic Division Cedar Manor toward Valley Stream
Proposed services Preceding station Amtrak Following station New York toward Norfolk, Newport News or Roanoke Northeast Regional Mineola toward Ronkonkoma
Location

The Jamaica station is a major train station of the Long Island Rail Road located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. With weekday ridership exceeding 200,000 passengers,^[8] it is the largest transit hub on Long Island, the fourth-busiest rail station in North America, and the second-busiest station that exclusively serves commuter traffic. It is the third-busiest rail hub in the New York area, behind Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal. Over 1,000 trains pass through each day, the fourth-most in the New York area behind Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal, and Secaucus Junction.

The Jamaica station is located on an embankment above street level and contains six platforms and ten tracks for LIRR trains. A concourse above the LIRR platforms connects to a station on the AirTrain JFK elevated people mover to John F. Kennedy International Airport, which contains two tracks and one platform. There are also connections to the Archer Avenue lines of the New York City Subway at a separate station directly below. The area just outside is served by several local bus routes, and others terminate within a few blocks of the station.

The station is located at the junction between the LIRR's three main trunk routes, its Main Line, Atlantic Branch, and Montauk Branch. Due to this, all LIRR passenger service barring the Port Washington Branch operates through here, with it being common for commuters to "Change at Jamaica" between trains to travel between points on Long Island and the four New York City terminals.