Babylon station

Long Island Rail Road station in Suffolk County, New York

Babylon

Suffolk County Transit's former S27 bus at Babylon station

General information
Location| Railroad Avenue & Deer Park Avenue
Babylon, New York
Coordinates| 40°42′02″N 73°19′27″W﻿ / ﻿40.700614°N 73.32421°W﻿ / 40.700614; -73.32421
Owned by| Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)| Montauk Branch
Platforms| 2 island platforms
Tracks| 3
Connections|  Suffolk County Transit: 2, 3, 5, 10, 15 (15 summer only)
Adirondack Trailways
Construction
Parking| Yes (village permit and metered)
Bicycle facilities| Yes
Accessible| Yes
Other information
Fare zone| 9
History
Opened| October 28, 1867 (SSRRLI)[1]
Rebuilt| 1881, 1964, 2024–2026
Electrified| May 21, 1925
750 V (DC) third rail
Previous names| Seaside (July 1868-1869)[1]
Passengers
2012--2014| 13,366[2]
Rank| 7 of 125
Services
| Preceding station  |  Long Island Rail Road | Following station

|
|

Jamaica

toward Penn Station or Long Island City

|  | Montauk Branch |  | Bay Shore

toward Montauk

Hicksville

limited service

toward Penn Station or Long Island City

Lindenhurst

toward Penn Station, Grand Central or Atlantic Terminal

|  | Babylon Branch |  | Terminus

Former services

| Preceding station  | Long Island
Rail Road | Following station

|
|

Lindenhurst

toward Long Island City

|  | Montauk Division |  | Bay Shore

toward Montauk

South Farmingdale

toward Bethpage

|  | Central Branch |  | Terminus

Location

Babylon is an intermodal transportation hub in the village of Babylon, New York, located at Railroad Avenue, west of Deer Park Avenue (CR 34). It is on the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road and is the eastern terminus of service on the LIRR's Babylon Branch – and additionally serves as a major hub for Suffolk County Transit buses.

To the west of the station is Belmont Junction, where the LIRR's Central Branch splits from the Montauk Branch, to head northwest to join the Main Line at BETH Interlocking, southeast of the Bethpage station.

The Babylon station is elevated with two island platforms and is wheelchair accessible through elevator access. The electrified portion of the Montauk Branch ends east of the station, at the Babylon Yard.

## History

[edit]

The station at dusk in September 2016 Babylon Yard, east of the station

Babylon station originally opened as a South Side Railroad of Long Island depot on October 28, 1867. It was briefly renamed Seaside station in the summer of 1868, but resumed its original name of Babylon station in 1869. The Central Railroad of Long Island had once planned an extension to the Great South Bay and Fire Island which was never built, and a horse car and later trolley line was provided by the Babylon Rail Road company as a substitute.[3] The CRRLI abandoned their own depot in 1874, and began to share it with SSRLI. From that point on the original SSRLI depot contained the name "Babylon & Fire Island" posted on one side.[4] The second depot opened on July 2, 1881, and contained three tracks with two low-level side platforms and two high island platforms, as well as a pedestrian bridge and a REA Express freight house.[5]

Electrification came to the station in May 1925, at which time the station became the terminus of the newly established Babylon Branch.[6] It was razed in 1963 as part of the grade crossing elimination project that was taking place along the entire Babylon Branch during the post-war era.[6][7] The new, elevated third station opened on September 9, 1964.[6][8]

East of the station, a train washing canopy existed in West Islip until 2005.[9][10] In June 2010, the Long Island Rail Road broke ground on a new environmentally friendly train wash canopy, as at the time, the Mid-Suffolk Yard adjacent to the Ronkonkoma station had the only train wash on the east end. This new train wash can recycle water using filters and is capable of washing up to 180 electric multiple unit cars a day.

### Station rehabilitation

[edit]

A station rehabilitation budgeted in the 2008–2013 Capital Plan was to include the demolition of the existing platforms and design and construction of a new platform as well as replacement of platform waiting rooms, escalators, and elevators. The project was projected to cost $39 million and would replace infrastructure that has existed since 1964.[8][11] The project was ultimately delayed, with funding deferred to a future capital plan.[8]

In 2024, as part of the 2025–2029 Capital Plan, the LIRR station began undergoing a significant reconstruction project.[8] Starting that September, the eastern and western portions of the station's platforms closed for demolition and reconstruction, with construction expected to be completed in May 2026.[8] As part of the project, the station will additionally receive new platform canopies, escalators & elevators, and the replacement of bathrooms, stairs, platforms, and waiting rooms.[8]

## Station layout

[edit]

The station has two 12-car-long high-level island platforms, located on an elevated structure.[8]

The station platforms in March 2019 P
Platform level  | Track 1 | ←  Babylon Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Lindenhurst)
←  Montauk Branch toward Long Island City or Penn Station (Hicksville or Jamaica)

|
|

Platform A, island platform
Track 2 | ←  Babylon Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Lindenhurst)
←  Montauk Branch toward Long Island City or Penn Station (Hicksville or Jamaica)
Platform B, island platform
Track 3 | ← Montauk Branch toward Patchogue, Speonk, or Montauk (Bay Shore) →
← Babylon Branch termination track →
G | Ground level  | Exit/entrance, parking, buses

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Vincent F. Seyfried, The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I., 1961
2. ^ "2012-2014 LIRR Origin and Destination Report : Volume I: Travel Behavior Among All LIRR Passengers" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 23, 2016. PDF pp. 15, 197. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2020. "Data collection took place after the pretest determinations, starting in September 2012 and concluding in May 2014. .... 2012-2014 LIRR O[rigin and ]D[estination] COUNTS: WEEKDAY East/West Total By Station in Numerical Order"
3. ^ "BY RAIL TO FIRE ISLAND". arrts-arrchives.com.
4. ^ "SSRR BABYLON STATION". arrts-arrchives.com.
5. ^ "LIRR Babylon". trainsarefun.com.
6. ^ a b c Morrison, David D.; Pakaluk, Valerie (2003). Long Island Rail Road Stations. Images of Rail. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 90–91\. ISBN 0-7385-1180-3. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
7. ^ "Compact NYSDOT Highway Record Plans: Beginning 1900". State of New York. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
8. ^ a b c d e f g Castillo, Alfonso A. (September 21, 2024). "$6B for LIRR in MTA plan: Work affects Babylon stop". Newsday (Print newspaper). Vol. 85, no. 19\. Long Island. pp. A3.
9. ^ Two mid-1980s views of West Islip...
10. ^ ...train wash racks
11. ^ 2008-2013 Capital Plan. Page 69

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Babylon (LIRR station).

* Babylon – LIRR
* Babylon LIRR timetable
* The Unofficial LIRR History Website
* 1941 Postcard[usurped], 1954[usurped] and March 2000 Photos[usurped]
* BABYLON Interlocking (The LIRR Today)
* Station from Google Maps Street View
* Platforms from Google Maps Street View
* Waiting Room from Google Maps Street View

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Long Island Rail Road stations

City Terminal Zone|

| Main Line (west)|

* Penn Station
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|

Babylon Branch|

* Union Hall Street
* Canal Street
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Central Branch|

* Bethpage
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Montauk Branch (east)|

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* Rockaway Junction
* Willow Tree
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Ronkonkoma Branch|

* Farmingdale
* Republic
* Pinelawn
* Wyandanch
* Edgewood
* Deer Park
* Pilgrim State Hospital
* Thompson
* Pineaire
* Brentwood
* Suffolk
* Central Islip
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* Nichols Road
* Lakeland
* Ronkonkoma

Greenport Branch|

* Hermanville
* Holbrook
* Holtsville
* Medford
* Bartlett's
* Fire Place
* Yaphank
* East Yaphank
* Carman's River
* Upton Road
* Camp Upton
* Wampmissic
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* Calverton
* Riverhead
* Aquebogue
* Jamesport
* Laurel
* Mattituck
* Cutchogue
* Peconic
* Southold
* Greenport

Belmont Park Branch|

* Jamaica
* Belmont Park

W. Hempstead Branch|

* St. Albans
* Westwood
* Malverne
* Lakeview
* Hempstead Gardens
* West Hempstead

* Category
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Italics denote closed (or not-yet-opened) stations and line segments.

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|

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