Atlantic Branch
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Long Island Rail Road
Locale	WesternLong Island,New York,USA
Termini	Atlantic Terminal Valley Stream
Stations	8 passenger, 1 employee-only
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Long Island Rail Road
Services	City Terminal Zone (Atlantic Shuttle)   West Hempstead Branch   Hempstead Branch (Peak Only)   Babylon Branch (Peak Only)
Operator(s)	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
History
Opened	1836 (west ofJamaica) 1867 (east of Jamaica)
Technical
Line length	15.7[1] mi (25.3 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge
Electrification	Third rail, 750 V DC
Route map Legend 0.0 mi 0 km Atlantic Terminal ​​​​​​​ Atlantic Avenue Viaduct 1.6 mi 2.6 km Nostrand Avenue ​ Bay Ridge Branch 4.0 mi 6.4 km East New York ​​​​ Woodhaven(closed) Woodhaven Junction(closed) Clarenceville(closed) Morris Park(closed) Montauk Branch toLong Island City 8.5 mi 13.7 km Morris Park Facility (Boland's Landing) Main Line toLong Island City &Penn Station Dunton(closed) Zone 1 Zone 3 9.3 mi 15 km Jamaica ​​​ HempsteadOyster BayPort Jefferson RonkonkomaMontaukviaMain Line Beaver Street(closed) South Street(closed) Cedar Manor(closed) 12.2 mi 19.6 km Locust Manor Higbie Avenue(closed) 13.1 mi 21.1 km Laurelton Montauk Branch viaSt. Albans 14.0 mi 22.5 km Rosedale Queens Nassau Zone 3 Zone 4 15.7 mi 25.3 km Valley Stream Far Rockaway West Hempstead BabylonLong BeachviaMontauk Distances shown fromAtlantic Terminal This diagram: view talk edit

TheAtlantic Branch is anelectrifiedrail line owned and operated by theLong Island Rail Road in theU.S. state ofNew York. It is the only LIRR line with revenue passenger service in the borough ofBrooklyn.

The line consists of two sections constructed separately. The portion of the line from Atlantic Terminal to Jamaica was constructed as part of theBrooklyn and Jamaica Railroad and opened in 1836, while the portion from Jamaica to Valley Stream was constructed as part of theSouth Side Railroad of Long Island in 1867.

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Partly underground and partly elevated, the Atlantic Branch runs fromAtlantic Terminal inDowntown Brooklyn toValley Stream, inNassau County, where it becomes the two-trackLong Beach Branch with the two-trackFar Rockaway Branch splitting southward just east of theValley Stream station.

The section between Atlantic Terminal andBedford Avenue is underground alongAtlantic Avenue. From there the line is elevated above themedian of Atlantic Avenue to Dewey Place (with a stop atNostrand Avenue) before returning underground. AtEast New York the line rises to street level to cross above the north-south, freight-onlyBay Ridge Branch, then descends underground once more. Between East New York andJamaica, the closed but intact station atWoodhaven Junction is visible.

At 121st Street inRichmond Hill, Queens, the line rises to street level and passes theMorris Park Facility before joining the elevatedMain Line at Jamaica. Immediately east of Jamaica, the line turns southeast, ducking beneath the eastward Main Line tracks. It curves parallel to theMontauk Branch after a few miles and continues next to it toValley Interlocking in Valley Stream.

The current Atlantic Branch is the successor to two separate lines: theBrooklyn and Jamaica Railroad (opened 1836) along Atlantic Avenue from Flatbush Avenue to Jamaica, and theSouth Side Railroad of Long Island (opened 1867) from Jamaica to Valley Stream.

TheBrooklyn and Jamaica Railroad opened the line fromSouth Ferry to what is now 151st Street in Jamaica on April 18, 1836.

Initially the line turned halfway between Classon and Franklin Avenues, running halfway between Herkimer Street and Schuyler Street (now Atlantic Avenue) along the line of the present Herkimer Place. It turned slightly to the southeast near Howard Avenue, crossing the centerline of Schuyler Street about one-third of the way between Hopkinson Avenue (Thomas Boyland Street) and Paca Avenue (Rockaway Avenue). It crossed into the town ofNew Lots just beyond Stone Avenue (Mother Gaston Boulevard).^[2]

The Atlantic Branch was one of the first lines in the LIRR system slated to be electrified. In anticipation of this the entire line to Jamaica was to be grade separated. Between 1903 and 1905 the line was depressed into a tunnel from Flatbush Avenue to Bedford Avenue, then placed on an elevated viaduct from Bedford Avenue to Ralph Avenue then depressed back into a tunnel until Manhattan Crossing located just west of East New York station. At East New York the line returned to grade level then rose onto another elevated viaduct until Atkins Ave. The rest of the line from Atkins Ave to Morris Park located just west of Jamaica remained at grade level along Atlantic Avenue with numerous grade crossings with the anticipation of grade separating the line later on. Additionally a new terminal and yard was built at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues. Electric service commenced in 1905 with the line consisting of two tracks between Flatbush Avenue andWoodhaven Junction and four tracks beyond that point to Jamaica.

LIRR then ran two services along the line: the traditional commuter type services from points on eastern Long Island to Flatbush Avenue, along with what was called the "localrapid transit" service, frequent elevated/subway like service at lower fare between Flatbush Ave andQueens Village. Although referred to as a rapid transit service, standard LIRR cars were used, and the service was operated by regular railroad rules. At this time the line from Jamaica to East New York had many more stations along Atlantic Avenue spaced at closer intervals, much like a rapid transit line. The four tracks between Jamaica and Woodhaven Junction lent itself to this service with the "rapid transit" trains using the outer two tracks while commuter trains used the inner two tracks.

In November 1925, 25 "local" trains left Brooklyn each weekday for Queens Village, 12 more ran to Hillside, and 16 more ran to Jamaica. All trains made all stops, 15 of them west of Queens Village. Fare was probably 10 cents for 13 miles Queens Village to Brooklyn, compared to about 40 cents on "express" LIRR trains making six or seven stops (but a monthly ticket good on any train was $7.10).

For a while the LIRR operated joint service along the Atlantic Branch with theBrooklyn Rapid Transit company (BRT) consisting of two connections, one with theFifth Ave El at Flatbush Avenue, and another with theBroadway andLexington Avenue els with a connection built at Chestnut Street in Brooklyn. This allowed BRT trains to access the Rockaways and Manhattan Beach, while affording the LIRR a connection into Manhattan to the BRT terminal located atPark Row over theBrooklyn Bridge (this service predated the opening of theEast River Tunnels toPenn Station). Nevertheless, theInterstate Commerce Commission ended this service in 1916 when they classified different operating standards between rapid transit trains (such as BRT trains) and regular heavy rail railroads (such as the LIRR).

By the late 1930s, it was clear that the rest of the line needed to be grade separated. Much of the surrounding area along Atlantic Avenue inOzone Park andRichmond Hill began their suburban development leading to more traffic along Atlantic Avenue which was plagued by the line's many grade crossings. The City of New York along with the LIRR thus allocated the funds to depress the rest of the line from Morris Park to East New York in a tunnel. Building of the tunnel commenced in 1939 (although plans to build the tunnel date back to 1893) with two of the line's four tracks being pulled out of service and the rapid transit service being discontinued.

On December 28, 1942,^[3] the tunnel was completed and opened with the two remaining at-grade tracks pulled out of service. Around this time Atlantic Avenue was raised over the East New York station via a viaduct that separated the road and the railroad. The elevated trestle from East New York to Atkins Avenue was also demolished as it had been included in the new tunnel to Jamaica. Only one station was included in the new tunnel: Woodhaven Junction, where the Atlantic Branch crossed under theRockaway Beach Branch. An interlocking and track connection was built just west of the Woodhaven Junction station to connect the two lines, but these closed after the abandonment of the Rockaway Beach Branch between 1955 and 1962.

The portion east of Jamaica was opened by theSouth Side Railroad of Long Island on October 28, 1867, as part of its initial line from Jamaica toBabylon. With the consolidation of the South Side into theLong Island Rail Road system in 1876, all passenger trains were rerouted to use the LIRR main line fromBerlin Junction (west of Jamaica) toRockaway Junction and the LIRR'sRockaway Branch toSpringfield Junction, where it crossed the South Side. This change took effect June 25, 1876, and resulted in the closure of the South Side's Berlin, Beaver Street (Jamaica),Locust Avenue, andSpringfield stations.^[4][5] This formed the current configuration, where theMontauk Branch follows this route, mostly ex-South Side, and the Atlantic Branch (then theOld Southern Road) uses the old South Side to Springfield Junction.

The line was soon reopened due to a lawsuit, but closed again byAustin Corbin as of January 6, 1881.^[6]

Effective May 17, 1906, when anelectrified third track opened alongside theMontauk Division fromSpringfield Junction to Valley Stream, the Old Southern Road and this new track became part of the Atlantic Division.^[7]

Grade-crossing elimination work between Laurelton and Jamaica began in May 1958.^[8]

East of Valley Stream, the Far Rockaway Branch continues toFar Rockaway and the Long Beach Branch continues toLong Beach.

As of February 27, 2023^[update], the Atlantic Terminal, Nostrand Avenue, and East New York stations are primarily served by a shuttle running between Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica. These stations are also served by trains on the West Hempstead Branch, as well as a limited number of weekday trains on the Hempstead and Babylon branches. Other trains traveling east of Jamaica run toPenn Station,Grand Central Madison, orLong Island City.^[9][10]

Zone[11]	Location	Services			Station	Miles (km)	Date opened	Date closed	Connections / notes
		AT	FR	LB
1
	Cobble Hill, Brooklyn				South Ferry		1836[12]	1861[13]
	Pacific Park, Brooklyn	●			Atlantic Terminal	0.0 (0.0)[14]	1877		Long Island Rail Road: Atlantic Terminal shuttle,■ West Hempstead Branch,■ Babylon Branch (limited service),■ Hempstead Branch (limited service) New York City Subway:​​​​​​​​​ (atAtlantic Avenue – Barclays Center) New York City Bus: B37,B41,B45,B63,B65,B67, B103 Originally named Flatbush Avenue
	Prospect Heights, Brooklyn				Vanderbilt Avenue		1877[15]	before 1890[16]
					Washington Avenue		c. 1878[17]	before 1890
	Crown Heights, Brooklyn
					Grand Avenue		1877[15]	c. 1878[17]
					Bedford	1.2 (1.9)[16]	c. 1842[18]	c. 1900[14]	Formerly Franklin Avenue; Connected to theBrooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island Railway
		●			Nostrand Avenue	1.6 (2.6)[16]	1877[15]		Long Island Rail Road: Atlantic Terminal shuttle,■ West Hempstead Branch,■ Babylon Branch (limited service),■ Hempstead Branch (limited service) New York City Subway:​ (atNostrand Avenue) New York City Bus:B25,B44,B44 SBS,B65, B49
					Brooklyn Avenue		1877[15]	before 1890[19]
					Kingston Avenue
					Albany Avenue		1877[15]	before 1890
					Troy Avenue	2.3 (3.7)[16]	1877[15][19]	c. 1899[16]
					Schenectady Avenue		c. 1878[17]	before 1890
					Utica Avenue	2.6 (4.2)[16]	1877[15][19]	c. 1899[16]
					Rochester Avenue		1877[15]	before 1890
					Ralph Avenue		1877[15]	before 1890
	Brownsville, Brooklyn				Saratoga Avenue
					Hopkinson Avenue		1877[15]	c. 1878[17]
					Rockaway Avenue		c. 1878[17]	before 1890
	East New York, Brooklyn
					Stone Avenue		1877[15]	c. 1878[17]
		●			East New York	4.0 (6.4)[16]	c. 1848[20]		Long Island Rail Road: Atlantic Terminal shuttle,■ West Hempstead Branch,■ Babylon Branch (limited service),■ Hempstead Branch (limited service) New York City Subway: (atAtlantic Avenue),​​​​ (atBroadway Junction) New York City Bus:B12,B20,B25,B83,Q24,Q56 Originally named Manhattan Beach Railroad Crossing
					Howard House	4.1 (6.6)[16]	c. 1843[21]	1905	Originally named East New York
					Pennsylvania Avenue
					Wyckoff Avenue		c. 1878[22]
					Bradford Avenue		1899[16][23]
					Van Siclen Avenue		c. 1878[24]
					Warwick Street	4.9 (7.9)[25]	1905	1939[26]
					Linwood Street	5.0 (8.0)[16]	c. 1878[17]	c. 1899[16]	Originally named Van Wicklens
					Norwood Avenue	5.3 (8.5)[16]	c. 1890[19]	1915[27]
	Cypress Hills, Brooklyn				Cypress Avenue		c. 1853[28]	c. 1890[19]
					Cypress Hills		c. 1849[29]
					Autumn Avenue	5.8 (9.3)[14]	1905	1939[27]	Originally Railroad Avenue
					Adamsville		1872[27][30]	1876[27]
					City Line
	Woodhaven, Queens				Unionville
					Union Course	6.3 (10.1)[14]	c. 1842[31]	1939[27]
					Woodhaven	6.7 (10.8)[16]	c. 1848[32]	1939[27]	Originally named Woodville
					Trotting Course Lane		1837[27]	1842[27]
					Woodhaven Junction	7.2 (11.6)[16]	c. 1890[19]	1977[33]
	Richmond Hill, Queens
					Chester Park
					Clarenceville	7.8 (12.6)[16]	c. 1874[30]	1939[27]
					Lefferts Avenue		c. 1867	1870[27]
					Morris Park	8.1 (13.0)[16]	c. 1890[19]	1939[27]
					Morris Grove		1878	1886
		●			Boland's Landing	8.5 (13.7)[1]	1889		Long Island Rail Road: Atlantic Terminal shuttle Employee-only station to serve theMorris Park Facility
					Berlin
					Berlin Junction
					Dunton	8.9 (14.3)[16]	1869	1939	Originally named Berlin, then Van Wyck Avenue
3	Jamaica, Queens	●	●	●	Jamaica	9.3 (15.0)[1]	1836		Long Island Rail Road: Atlantic Terminal shuttle,■ Babylon Branch,■ Hempstead Branch,■ Montauk Branch,■ Oyster Bay Branch,■ Port Jefferson Branch,■ Ronkonkoma Branch,■ West Hempstead Branch New York City Subway:​​​ (atSutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport) New York City Bus:Q1,Q20,Q24,Q30,Q31,Q43,Q44 SBS,Q54,Q56,Q75 MTA Bus:Q6,Q8,Q9,Q25,Q40,Q41,Q60,Q65 Nassau Inter-County Express:n4 AirTrain JFK:■ Jamaica Train
					Beaver Street	9.6 (15.4)[14]	1867	1913	Also known asJamaica—Beaver Street
					South Street		1917	1922
	South Jamaica, Queens				Cedar Manor	10.8 (17.4)[14]	1906	1959	Originally named Power Place
	Locust Manor, Queens		●	●†	Locust Manor	12.2 (19.6)[1]	1869		New York City Bus:Q3,Q85,Q89,QM21,QM65 Originally named Locust Avenue † Served by■ Far Rockaway Branch weekdays,■ Long Beach Branch weekends
	Springfield Gardens, Queens				Higbie Avenue	12.6 (20.3)[14]	1908	1960	Originally named Springfield
					Springfield		1867	1906
	Laurelton, Queens		●	●†	Laurelton	13.1 (21.1)[14]	1907		New York City Bus:Q77,Q85,Q89 Originally named Central Avenue † Served by■ Far Rockaway Branch weekdays,■ Long Beach Branch weekends
	Rosedale, Queens		●	●†	Rosedale	14.0 (22.5)[1]			New York City Bus:Q5,Q85,Q86,Q89,QM63 Originally named Foster's Meadow † Served by■ Far Rockaway Branch weekdays,■ Long Beach Branch weekends
4	Valley Stream		●	●	Valley Stream	15.7 (25.3)[14]	1869		Long Island Rail Road:■ West Hempstead Branch Nassau Inter-County Express:n1, Elmont Flexi

• Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project – A defunct proposal to use the LIRR Atlantic Branch in a new direct JFK connection to Lower Manhattan

Media related toAtlantic Branch (Long Island Rail Road) at Wikimedia Commons

• 1884 and1900 Maps of the Atlantic Branch and Vicinity (Arrt's Arrchives)

• Long Island Rail Road branches
• Transportation in Brooklyn
• Transportation in Queens, New York
• Transportation in Nassau County, New York
• Standard-gauge railways in the United States
• Railway lines opened in 1836

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