Merillon Avenue () 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's Main Line (

Port Jefferson Branch The Port Jefferson Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The branch splits from the Main Line (Long Island Rail Road), Main Line just east of Hicksville ...

service). It is located at Nassau Boulevard and Merillon Avenue in

Garden City Park, New York Garden City Park is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island. It's a suburb located approximately from Midtown Manhattan. The population was 7,806 at the 2010 ce ...

. The station is

wheelchair accessible A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to Disease, illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health co ...

with two

side platforms A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a railway platform, platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or bus rapid transit, transitway. A st ...

and a cross-under at Nassau Boulevard.

History

Merillon Avenue station was established in 1911 near the former Clowesville station, which was established in June 1837 by the

Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad The Atlantic Avenue Railroad was a company in the U.S. state of New York, with a main line connecting downtown Brooklyn with Jamaica along Atlantic Avenue. It was largely a streetcar company that operated its own trains, but the Long Island Ra ...

. It was the closest LIRR station to the old Queens County courthouse ( Nassau County became a separate county in 1899, splitting off from Queens County) off

Jericho Turnpike Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. ...

. By 1845, it was used only when courts were in session. From 1874 to 1876, the station was named "Garden City" in order to mislead travelers into thinking that the station served Alexander Turney Stewart's Garden City, which was already served by Garden City station along 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 ...

in 1872. The court moved away in 1877 and the station fell by the wayside, although some trains continued to stop there as late as June 1897. Though re-established as a station in 1911, the station house itself was not built until 1912. The station was rebuilt in 1958, featuring a smaller structure, as well as a narrow, 11'6" bridge under the tracks for Nassau Boulevard; this bridge was replaced with a 14"-high bridge as part of the Main Line Expansion Project in October 2019, but still remains two lanes wide despite the fact that the rest of Nassau Boulevard is a four-lane divided highway.

1993 Shooting

Station enhancements

As part of the Main Line third track project, the Merillon Avenue station was upgraded to accommodate full-length 12-car trains and platform B was relocated. Canopies, benches, signage, and security cameras were installed. The station was made compliant with the

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

via the installation of elevators and ramps. The existing station building was demolished and replaced with extra parking spaces. Amenities such as Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, artwork, and digital information displays were also included in the renovation. The electrical substation at Merillon Avenue station was replaced to make way for the third track.

Platforms and tracks

This 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 the length of 12 train cars.

References

External links

New Hyde Park & Merillon Avenue Stations (Arrt's Arrchives)

East end of station from Google Maps Street ViewPlatforms from Google Maps Street View
{{LIRR stations navbox Garden City, New York Long Island Rail Road stations in Nassau County, New York Railway stations in the United States opened in 1911 1911 establishments in New York (state)