Great Neck (LIRR station)

Great Neck
The Great Neck station as seen from the Port Washington-bound platform. The depot is visible above the canopy for the Penn Station-bound platform.
Station statistics
Address	Middle Neck Road & Station Plaza @ Great Neck Road Village of Great Neck Plaza, New York
Coordinates	40.787235°N 73.725986°W / 40.787235; -73.725986
Lines	Port Washington Branch
Connections	Nassau Inter-County Express: n20, n21, n25, n26, n57, n58
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Parking	Yes (Local Permit & Scratch-off Voucher required)
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Other information
Opened	October 27, 1866 (NY&F)
Closed	1883, 1924
Rebuilt	1883, 1893, 1925-1934, 1990s
Electrified	October 21, 1913 750V (DC) third rail
Accessible
Fare zone	4
Formerly	Brookdale (1869-1872)
Traffic
Passengers (2006)	11,024
Services
Preceding station   LIRR   Following station Little Neck toward Penn Station Port Washington Branch Manhasset toward Port Washington

Great Neck is a station in the village of Great Neck Plaza, on the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is the first station on the branch (heading from Manhattan) in Nassau County. The station is at Middle Neck Road and Station Plaza at Great Neck Road, 1/4 mile (0.4 km) north of Northern Boulevard, and is 15.9 miles (25.6 km) from Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. From this point on, the line becomes single track to Port Washington.

History

Great Neck was originally the terminus of the New York and Flushing Railroad 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 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, only to be leased in 1876 by the LIRR. In 1898, the LIRR built Long Island's highest railroad bridge to extend the line to Manhasset and Port Washington. In 1924, the station was closed and moved to its current location on February 26, 1925, as a grade crossing elimination project brought the tracks below ground by June 8, 1934. Elevators are on both sides. The wall along the southeastern platform has an aluminum sculpture by artist David Saunders that was installed in 2001.

This station was referenced in The Great Gatsby as "West Egg".

Service

Port Washington Branch trains generally run every 30 minutes in both directions during the daytime. During rush hours, when express service is provided, Great Neck is an express station. Local trains terminate here during rush hours. Terminating trains depart east on Track 2 and return via crossovers to the other platform. Trains run every two hours overnight.

Platforms and tracks

The station has two high-level side platforms, each 10 cars long. The north platform next to Track 1, is generally used by westbound or Manhattan-bound trains. The south platform next to Track 2, is generally used by eastbound or Port Washington-bound trains. The branch has two tracks here. Track 2 extends approximately one-train length beyond the station before merging with Track 1. The MTA has proposed extending Track 2 to provide space for turning a second train. This track would allow expansion of service along the Port Washington Branch and the ability to add service to East Side Access and Grand Central Terminal.

External links

Media related to Great Neck (LIRR station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Official LIRR station information page for Great Neck
• Station timetable for Great Neck
• Manhasset Viaduct Photos (Forgotten-NY.com)
  • Manhasset Viaduct from Shore Road and Close-Up
• entrance from Google Maps Street View