Merrick (LIRR station)

Merrick

Merrick Station as seen from Sunrise Highway.
Location Sunrise Highway between Hewlett & Merrick Avenues
Merrick, New York
Coordinates 40°39′50″N 73°33′03″W / 40.663769°N 73.550709°W / 40.663769; -73.550709Coordinates: 40°39′50″N 73°33′03″W / 40.663769°N 73.550709°W / 40.663769; -73.550709
Owned by Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)
  Babylon Branch
Platforms 1 island platform
Tracks 2
Connections NICE Bus: n51
Construction
Parking Yes
Bicycle facilities Yes
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone 7
History
Opened 1867 (SSRRLI)
Rebuilt 1885, 1902, 1969-1975
Electrified May 20, 1925
750 V (DC) third rail
Traffic
Passengers (2006) 6,767[1]
Services
Preceding station   LIRR   Following station
Babylon Branch
toward Babylon

Merrick is a station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is officially located on Sunrise Highway, between Hewlett Avenue and Merrick Avenue, in Merrick, New York. However, the parking areas for the station expand well beyond the given location.

History

Merrick station is typical of the elevated Babylon Branch stations that were rebuilt during the mid-to-late 20th Century. What's not so typical are its origins. The station was originally built on October 28, 1867 by the South Side Railroad of Long Island, but in 1869, it was expanded into a hotel built by SSRRLI President Charles Fox. This hotel was burned to the ground in 1908. A second depot was built in 1885 and a third was built in 1902.[2] The station was razed in June 1969 as part of the grade elimination project. A temporary station was installed on December 4, 1970, but the elevated fourth station wasn't opened until June 28, 1975.

Platform and track configuration

1 ■ Babylon Branch toward New York (Freeport)
2 ■ Babylon Branch toward Babylon (Bellmore)

This station has one 12-car-long high-level island platform serving trains in both directions. A 10-car-long awning exists, with the easternmost part of the platform uncovered. The rail line has two tracks at this location. Each Fall, this railroad station, like Bellmore station plays host to a Street Festival/Fair courtesy of Merrick Chamber of Commerce.

Service

During the AM rush, some westbound run express to Penn Station after Merrick station. During the PM rush, Merrick is the first stop on some express trains originating at Penn Station en route to Wantagh station.

References

  1. ↑ Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
  2. ↑ Merrick Station History (Arrt's Arrchives)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/9/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.