Babylon station

Babylon is a station on the Long Island Rail Road in the village of Babylon, New York at Railroad Avenue west of Deer Park Avenue (Suffolk CR 34). It is on the Montauk Branch and is the eastern terminus of the Babylon Branch service. To the west is the junction (Belmont Junction) with the Central Branch, which heads northwest to join the Main Line at Bethpage Interlocking southeast of the Bethpage station. Babylon station is elevated with two island platforms and is wheelchair accessible through elevator access. The electrified portion of the Montauk Branch ends east of the station.

Babylon
Suffolk County Transit's S27 bus leaves Babylon station
General information
LocationRailroad Avenue & Deer Park Avenue
Babylon, New York
Coordinates40.700614°N 73.32421°W / 40.700614; -73.32421
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Montauk Branch
Platforms2 island platforms
Tracks3
ConnectionsBus transport Suffolk County Transit: S20, S23, S25, S27, S29, S40, S42, S47
Bus transport Adirondack Trailways
Construction
ParkingYes (village permit and metered)
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone9
History
OpenedOctober 28, 1867 (SSRRLI)[1]
Rebuilt1881, 1964
ElectrifiedMay 21, 1925
750 V (DC) third rail
Previous namesSeaside (July 1868–1869)[1]
Passengers
2012—201413,366[2]
Rank7 of 125
Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station
Jamaica
toward Penn Station or Long Island City
 Montauk Branch Bay Shore
toward Montauk
Hicksville
limited service
toward Penn Station or Long Island City
Lindenhurst
toward Penn Station, Grand Central or Atlantic Terminal
 Babylon Branch Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road		 Following station
Lindenhurst
toward Long Island City
 Montauk Division Bay Shore
toward Montauk
South Farmingdale
toward Bethpage
 Central Branch Terminus

History
The station at dusk in September 2016
Babylon Yard, east of the station

Babylon station originally opened as a South Side Railroad of Long Island depot on October 28, 1867. It was briefly renamed Seaside station in the summer of 1868, but resumed its original name of Babylon station in 1869. The Central Railroad of Long Island had once planned an extension to the Great South Bay and Fire Island which was never built, and a horse car and later trolley line was provided by the Babylon Rail Road company as a substitute.[3] The CRRLI abandoned their own depot in 187, and began to share it with SSRLI. From that point on the original SSRLI depot contained the name "Babylon & Fire Island" posted on one side.[4] The second depot opened on July 2, 1881, and contained three tracks with two low-level side platforms and two high island platforms, as well as a pedestrian bridge and a REA Express freight house.[5] Electrification came to the station in May 1925. The station became the terminus of the newly established Babylon Branch. It was razed in 1963 as part of the grade elimination project that was taking place along the entire Babylon Branch during the post-war era.[6] The new elevated third station opened on September 9, 1964.

East of the station, a train washing canopy existed in West Islip until 2005.[7][8] In June 2010, the Long Island Rail Road broke ground on a new environmentally friendly train wash canopy, since Ronkonkoma station had the only train wash on the east end. This new train wash can recycle water using filters and is capable of washing up to 180 electric multiple unit cars a day.

As budgeted in the 2008–2013 Capital Plan, station rehabilitation over the next five years will include the demolition of the existing platforms and design and construction of a new platform as well as replacement of platform waiting rooms, escalators, and elevators. The project is projected to cost $39 million and will replace infrastructure that has existed since 1964.[9]

Station layout

The station has two 12-car-long high-level island platforms.

The station platforms in March 2019
P
Platform level		 Track 1 ←      Babylon Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Lindenhurst)
←      Montauk Branch toward Long Island City or Penn Station (Hicksville or Jamaica)
Platform A, island platform Disabled access
Track 2 ←      Babylon Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Lindenhurst)
←      Montauk Branch toward Long Island City or Penn Station (Hicksville or Jamaica)
Platform B, island platform Disabled access
Track 3 ←      Montauk Branch toward Patchogue, Speonk, or Montauk (Bay Shore) →
←      Babylon Branch termination track →
G Ground level Exit/entrance, parking, buses

References
  1. Vincent F. Seyfried, The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I., 1961
  2. "2012-2014 LIRR Origin and Destination Report : Volume I: Travel Behavior Among All LIRR Passengers" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 23, 2016. PDF pp. 15, 197. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2020. Data collection took place after the pretest determinations, starting in September 2012 and concluding in May 2014. .... 2012-2014 LIRR O[rigin and ]D[estination] COUNTS: WEEKDAY East/West Total By Station in Numerical Order
  3. "BY RAIL TO FIRE ISLAND". arrts-arrchives.com.
  4. "SSRR BABYLON STATION". arrts-arrchives.com.
  5. "LIRR Babylon". trainsarefun.com.
  6. Morrison, David D.; Pakaluk, Valerie (2003). Long Island Rail Road Stations. Images of Rail. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 90–91. ISBN 0-7385-1180-3. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  7. Two mid-1980s views of West Islip...
  8. ...train wash racks
  9. 2008-2013 Capital Plan. Page 69
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