Great Neck (LIRR Station)
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Great Neck is a
station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
on the
Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...
's
Port Washington Branch The Port Washington Branch is an electrified, mostly double-tracked rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It branches north from the Main Line at the former Winfield Junction stat ...
in the Village of Great Neck Plaza, Nassau County,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. The station is located at Middle Neck Road (CR 11) and Station Plaza at Great Neck Road, north of Northern Boulevard (NY 25A) and from
Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may refer to: Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * New York Penn Station ** Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), the predecessor to the present New York City station * Newark Penn Station Trai ...
in
Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...
. From just east of the station, the line becomes single track to Port Washington. The Great Neck station is the westernmost stop on the Port Washington Branch in Nassau County.


History

Great Neck was originally the
terminus Terminus may refer to: Ancient Rome *Terminus (god), a Roman deity who protected boundary markers Transport *Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination *Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end des ...
of the
New York and Flushing Railroad The Flushing and North Side Railroad was a former railroad on Long Island built by Conrad Poppenhusen as a replacement for the former New York and Flushing Railroad. The railroad was established in 1868, was merged with the Central Railroad of Lo ...
when it was built in 1866 by a subsidiary called the North Shore Railroad, and called Brookdale Station. The NY&F was acquired by the
Flushing and North Side Railroad The Flushing and North Side Railroad was a former railroad on Long Island built by Conrad Poppenhusen as a replacement for the former New York and Flushing Railroad. The railroad was established in 1868, was merged with the Central Railroad of Lo ...
in 1869, and the name was changed to Great Neck in 1872. The F&NS was consolidated into the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad in 1874 through a merger with the
Central Railroad of Long Island Central Railroad of Long Island was built on Long Island, New York (state), New York, by Alexander Turney Stewart, who was also the founder of Garden City, New York, Garden City. The railroad was established in 1871, then merged with the Flushing ...
, only to be leased in 1876 by the LIRR. Though Great Neck station served as a terminal station for much of the 19th century, it was never intended to stay this way. An attempt to extend the line east from the station toward Roslyn failed in 1882. Thirteen years later, wealthy Port Washington residents persuaded the LIRR to bring the terminus to their hometown. This required the construction of the
Manhasset Viaduct The Manhasset Viaduct (also known as the Manhasset Valley Bridge, the Manhasset Valley Viaduct, and the Manhasset Trestle) is a railroad viaduct located between Manhasset and the Village of Thomaston within the Town of North Hempstead, on Lon ...
over the marshes at the southern end of
Manhasset Bay Manhasset Bay, New York, is an embayment in western Long Island off Long Island Sound. Description Manhasset Bay forms the northeastern boundary of the Great Neck Peninsula and the southwestern boundary of the Cow Neck Peninsula ( Port Was ...
, which was authorized by an LIRR subsidiary called the
Great Neck and Port Washington Railroad The Port Washington Branch is an electrified, mostly double-tracked rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It branches north from the Main Line at the former Winfield Junction stati ...
. On June 23, 1898, the first LIRR train passed through Great Neck to cross the Manhasset Viaduct, Long Island's highest railroad bridge, to extend the line through
Manhasset Manhasset is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 ...
,
Plandome Plandome is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is one of the three villages which comprise the area of Cow Neck known as the Plandomes, and it is also co ...
and Port Washington. In 1924, the station was closed; it was reopened at its current location on February 26, 1925. A
grade crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The t ...
elimination project then brought the tracks below ground by June 8, 1934.
Elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...
s are on both sides. The wall along the southeastern platform has an aluminum sculpture by artist David Saunders that was installed in 2001. The station recently received enhancements and modernizations, including
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
, LCD display screens, wayfinding signage, new benches, new bike racks, and charging stations, among other things, as part of a greater, systemwide initiative to upgrade stations and infrastructure.


Station layout

The station has two high-level
side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...
s, each 10 cars long.


Pocket track

As a "readiness project" for the LIRR's
East Side Access East Side Access (ESA) is a public works project in New York City that extended the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) two miles from its Main Line (Long Island Rail Road), Main Line in Queens to the new Grand Central Madison station under Grand Cent ...
extension project to
Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...
, the MTA extended Track 2 an additional east, making it long enough to store two trainsets. This would allow the LIRR to increase the number of peak-hour trips between Great Neck and Penn Station/Grand Central Madison. It also included replacement of the original Colonial Road Bridge, built in 1897, which passes over the area of the expanded pocket track, with a new bridge with wider lanes and built to reduce noise. Also included in the project are drainage improvements to the
right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...
to alleviate flooding on the tracks during storms. In 2010, several homeowners in the area opposed the project, arguing that construction would harm their quality of life. Representatives from the MTA stated that the expanded pocket track would not be used for overnight train storage or maintenance. The project was initially scheduled for completion in December 2015. Because of delays, the new bridge was installed in April 2016, and the construction of the pocket track was scheduled for completion in December 2018 at a total cost of $45.2 million. However, the completion date was again pushed back several times; , a tentative completion date of August 2022 was announced. Following another delay, construction of the extended pocket track would ultimately be completed in December 2022.


In popular culture

The Great Neck station was referenced in ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
'' as "West Egg".


Gallery

File:Great Neck Station platform view.jpg, Platform level at Great Neck. File:Great Neck Station & Cafe.jpg, A Port Washington-bound train at the station, as seen from a staircase to Platform B. File:Great Neck Station North Station Plaza.jpg, The station's parking lot, looking towards the station house. File:Great Neck Station - South Elevator Shaft.jpg, One of the elevators, as seen from street level. File:Great Neck grade crossing plaque jeh.jpg, A plaque commemorating the grade crossing elimination in the Great Neck area. File:Conductor's Watch & Key Chain.jpg, ''Conductor's Watch & Key Chain'' by David Saunders


References


External links

*Manhasset Viaduct Photos (Forgotten-NY.com)
Manhasset Viaduct from Shore Road
an
Close-Up

Entrance from Google Maps Street ViewPlatforms from Google Maps Street ViewWaiting Room (Interior) from Google Maps Street View
{{LIRR stations navbox Long Island Rail Road stations in Nassau County, New York Railway stations in the United States opened in 1866 Railway stations in the United States opened in 1924 Great Neck Peninsula 1866 establishments in New York (state)