Elmhurst station (LIRR)

Elmhurst
Site of the former Elmhurst station on Broadway across from Cornish Avenue. There was an entrance to the Port Washington bound platform and there are some visible platform support members remaining.
Location Broadway between Whitney and Cornish Avenues.
Elmhurst, Queens, New York City
Coordinates 40°44′29″N 73°52′45.8″W / 40.74139°N 73.879389°W / 40.74139; -73.879389Coordinates: 40°44′29″N 73°52′45.8″W / 40.74139°N 73.879389°W / 40.74139; -73.879389
Owned by Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)
  Port Washington Branch
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Other information
Station code ELM
Fare zone 1
History
Opened 1855 (NY&F) 2021-2024 (projected)
Closed January 1, 1985
Rebuilt 1888, 1927
Electrified Yes
Previous names Newtown (1855–1897)
Services
  Port Washington Branch
Preceding station   LIRR   Following station
Former services
Winfield Junction   Port Washington Branch   Corona

Elmhurst was a station of the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It was located on Broadway between Cornish and Whitney Avenues in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York City. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) proposes to rebuild the station.[1]

History

The first depot opened as Newtown around 1855 by the Flushing Railroad,[2] later renamed Elmhurst around June 1897 and razed around 1888. The second depot opened around December, 1888 and razed around 1927. The elevated and third depot opened around 1927 and the station and depot was finally closed and razed on January 1, 1985.[3] It stood on the east side of Broadway, a block south of the Elmhurst Avenue subway station.

In March 2012, lawmakers and the rail road announced that they were considering building a new station at Elmhurst to restore service, at an estimated cost of $20 to $30 million.[4] The 2015-2019 MTA capital program initially included $40 million to design and construct the new station, which would be in the same location as the old one.[1] However, in a 2017 amendment[5] of the capital program, the agency postponed the construction of the new station, only including $3 million to fund station design.[6]

1891 map of Elmhurst station, when it was still called Newtown station

Station layout

  ■ Port Washington Branch does not stop here (Woodside)
  ■ Port Washington Branch does not stop here (Mets – Willets Point)

Elmhurst station was built on ground level, later raised onto an embankment going across Broadway past Whitney Avenue. The station had a long platform and pedestrian underpass near the corner of Ketcham Place and 43rd Avenue to 88th Street. The underpass remains in use today. Additionally, there was an entrance to the Port Washington-bound platform near the corner of Cornish Avenue and Broadway and a tunnel leading to the Elmhurst Avenue station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line. Last, there was a freight loading area near the Durkee Spice Factory (now the new Elmhurst Educational Complex) where freight would be unloaded. Separate tracks leading to the loading dock still remain in sight.

References

  1. 1 2 "MTA Capital Program 2015-2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transit Authority. September 23, 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-07. New LIRR Stations - Elmhurst and Republic - $45 million: These projects will advance two new LIRR stations – Elmhurst, on the Port Washington Branch in Queens, and Republic, on the Main Line in Suffolk County. A new Elmhurst station will provide commuter railroad service to this vibrant community. Proposed station elements for both locations include two new 12-car platforms, along with staircases, platform railings, platform shelters, ticket vending machines, as well as lighting, communication and security systems, and site improvements. Both stations will be fully ADA compliant, with elevator service at Elmhurst Station and ADA ramps at Republic. This proposed program includes the environmental review, design and construction of Elmhurst along with environmental review and design of Republic, supporting station construction in a future capital program.
  2. ↑ "North Shore Railroad". Arrt's Arrchives. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  3. ↑ "LIRR Station History". TrainsAreFun.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-06. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  4. ↑ Trapasso, Clare (March 15, 2012). "Queens lawmakers urge LIRR to reopen Elmhurst station". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  5. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Emma G. (May 24, 2017). "M.T.A. Adds Funding for Expansion Projects Rather Than Subway Fixes". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
  6. ↑ "MTA Capital Program 2015-2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transit Authority. July 31, 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-25. Three station projects will be progressing as design only efforts within this Capital Program: Babylon Station Platform Replacement, Hunterspoint Avenue Station Renewal, and Elmhurst Station – New Station. Project budgets are decreasing by $79 million and project construction will occur in the next capital program.
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