Bethpage (LIRR station)

Bethpage
A westbound train arrives at the Bethpage station in September 2014.
Coordinates	40°44′35″N 73°29′00″W / 40.742994°N 73.483359°WCoordinates: 40°44′35″N 73°29′00″W / 40.742994°N 73.483359°W
Owned by	Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)	Main Line (Ronkonkoma Branch)   Montauk Branch (Central Branch)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Yes; Free, and Town of Oyster Bay permits
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	7
History
Opened	1856
Rebuilt	1959
Electrified	1987 750 V (DC) third rail
Previous names	Jerusalem Station (1854-1936) Jerusalem (1863-1936) Central Park (1867-1936)
Traffic
Passengers (2006)	4,963[1]
Services
Preceding station   LIRR   Following station Hicksville toward New York terminals Main Line (Ronkonkoma Branch) Farmingdale toward Greenport Montauk Branch (Central Branch) (non-stop) Babylon toward Montauk Current and former locations Grumman station Ronkonkoma Branch Farmingdale station Current and former locations Grumman station Central Branch South Farmingdale station

Bethpage Station is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located at Stewart Avenue and Jackson Avenue, in Bethpage, New York, and serves Ronkonkoma Branch trains. Trains that travel along the Central Branch also use these tracks, but none stop here.

History

Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) tracks were completed on the present line in 1841.^[2] At first trains did not stop here, Bethpage appearing only as a notation ("late Bethpage") associated with the Farmingdale station to the east.^[3] By 1854, the LIRR stopped at a local station called Jerusalem Station.^[4] A local post office opened January 29, 1857, with the name Jerusalem Station.^[5] LIRR schedules also referred to the station as simply Jerusalem.^[6] In 1867, the residents voted to change the name of the local post office to Central Park, and both that and Jerusalem appeared on LIRR schedules until 1936. The station and the post office were renamed Bethpage on October 1, 1936. In 1959, the station burned down and was replaced. Service was electrified in 1987.^[7]

Two nearby stations also had Bethpage in their name:

• Bethpage Junction was a connection to the east of the present station where the LIRR crossed with the Central Railroad of Long Island, which was built in 1873. A platform was built to enable passengers to transfer. This is the location where the present Central Branch splits from the Main Line at Beth Interlocking one mile southeast of the Bethpage station on the way to Babylon station and the Montauk Branch. The LIRR built the B-Tower at Beth Interlocking in 1925 to replace hand-operated switching between the tracks.
• Bethpage was also the name of the northern terminus of the former Bethpage Branch from Bethpage Junction to the former Bethpage Brickworks in the community now called Old Bethpage, but which was called Bethpage until 1936.

From 1873 until 1876, the Central Railroad of Long Island had a regularly scheduled stop also named Central Park near Stewart Avenue and Motor Lane in Plainedge, approximately 0.75 miles south of the present station.^[8][9][10] Service was continued by the LIRR at that location until about 1924.

Platforms and tracks

1	■ Ronkonkoma Branch	toward New York (Hicksville)
	■ Montauk Branch	no stop
2	■ Ronkonkoma Branch	toward Ronkonkoma (Farmingdale)
	■ Montauk Branch	no stop

There are 2 tracks at this station, with two high-level side platforms, each the length of 12 cars. The north platform, next to Track 1, is generally used by westbound or New York City-bound trains. The south platform, next to Track 2, is generally used by eastbound trains.

References

1. Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
2. "Early LIRR History".
3. "1841 Brooklyn Eagle : LIRR timetable". Brooklyn Eagle. 1841-10-26. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
4. "Railroads". The New York Times. April 13, 1854. p. 7. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
5. David Roberts. "Nassau County Post Offices 1794-1879". Retrieved 2007-12-23. John L. Kay; Chester M. Smith, Jr. (1982). New York Postal History: The Post Offices & First Postmasters from 1775 to 1980. American Philatelic Society.
6. "1863 LIRR timetable". Retrieved 2011-12-31. The schedule shows the stop is 2 miles from Farmingdale and 3 miles from Hicksville, the same distances as of 2016.
7. Schmitt, Eric (December 31, 1987). "Electric Service Extended by L.I.R.R.". The New York Times. Section B, p. 3. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
8. "The Central RR of Long Island".
9. "c1884 map of LI showing rail lines".
10. "The Stewart Line" (1874 & 1875 timetables show separate stations for Bethpage (now Old Bethpage), Bethpage Junction, and Central Park/Jerusalem).

External links

Works related to Bethpage (LIRR station) at Wikisource

• Official LIRR station information page for Bethpage
• Station timetable for Bethpage
• Unofficial LIRR History Website
  • Central Branch History
  • Bethpage Station (1990s)
  • B-Tower; 1986 and July 1993
• 1873 map showing railways on Long Island
• Bethpage Junction History (Arrt's Arrchives)
• Trains Are Fun
  • May 11, 1947 and 1952 Photos
• NYCSubways.org
  • April 24, 1966 and September 1974 Photos
• BETH Interlocking (The LIRR Today)
• Station from Stewart Avenue from Google Maps Street View