Hicksville station

Hicksville station is a commuter rail station on the Main Line and Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, located in Hicksville, New York. It is the busiest station east of Jamaica and Penn Station by combined weekday/weekend ridership.

Hicksville
Hicksville station in March 2019
General information
Location	Newbridge Road and West Barclay Street Hicksville, New York
Coordinates	40.767101°N 73.528686°W / 40.767101; -73.528686
Owned by	Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)	Main Line Port Jefferson Branch
Distance	24.8 mi (39.9 km) from Long Island City[1]
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	3
Connections	Nassau Inter-County Express: n20H, n22, n24, n48, n49, n78, n79, n79x, n80
Construction
Parking	Yes; Town of Oyster Bay permits and private parking garages
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	7
History
Opened	March 1, 1837
Rebuilt	1873, 1909, 1962, 2014–2018
Electrified	October 19, 1970 750 V (DC) third rail
Passengers
2006	16,215[2]
Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Westbury toward Penn Station, Grand Central or Long Island City Port Jefferson Branch Syosset toward Huntington or Port Jefferson Mineola toward Penn Station or Grand Central Ronkonkoma Branch Bethpage toward Ronkonkoma Mineola toward Penn Station or Long Island City Montauk Branch limited service Babylon toward Montauk
Former services Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Westbury toward Long Island City or Penn Station Main Line Grumman toward Greenport Terminus Wading River Branch Landia toward Wading River
Proposed services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Mineola toward Norfolk, Newport News or Roanoke Northeast Regional Deer Park toward Ronkonkoma
Location

The station is located at Newbride Road (NY 106) and West Barclay Street. It has two island platforms and three tracks. It is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator to each platform from street level. It is served by eight Nassau Inter-County Express routes and two cab services on the ground level of the station.

History

DIVIDE Interlocking tower, located just east of the station

Hicksville station's first depot opened on March 1, 1837, and it served as the temporary terminus of the LIRR.^[3] Both the station and the eponymous hamlet were established by Valentine Hicks – the son of an abolitionist preacher who also briefly served as President of the LIRR.^[3]

In 1841, the Main Line was extended east from Hicksville to Farmingdale, after a delay caused by the depression that had begun with the Panic of 1837.^[3]

In 1854, the station gained a line known as the Hicksville and Syosset Railroad that later became the Port Jefferson Branch of the LIRR.^[3] Ten years later, on July 15, 1864, Hicksville's first depot burned down. A second depot opened in September 1873, and was moved to a private location in 1909. The third depot opened on October 30, 1909, and was razed in November 1962 as the current elevated structure was being built.^[3][4][5] The elevated station opened on September 12, 1964.^[3][5][6]

In 1965, an eagle sculpture from the original Penn Station, which had recently been demolished, was moved to the Hicksville station. The sculpture was subsequently installed in the station's parking lot, where it remains standing today.^[3][7]

In October 1970, the tracks on the Main Line were electrified from Mineola to Hicksville, and up the Port Jefferson Branch as far east as Huntington.^[8] With the electrification came the introduction of electric train service to the Hicksville station and direct service to Penn Station, thus eliminating the need for Hicksville customers to change trains at Jamaica.^[8] The first electric train to serve the Hicksville station ran on October 19th of that year.^[8]

The station underwent a full renovation beginning in early 2014.^[9] The $121 million renovation included replacing station platforms, escalators, elevators, waiting rooms, canopies, and lighting. Security cameras were also added during the renovation.^[9] Construction was estimated to last through 2017, and was expected to be completed by August 2018.^[9][10][11] Platform A was the first platform to be rebuilt, reopening in September 2017.^[12] The electrical substation at Hicksville station will be replaced as part of the Main Line third track project.^[13] The rehabilitation project was officially completed in September 2018.

Station layout

Generally, Platform A serves westbound trains and Platform B serves eastbound trains. Track 2 operates with the flow of rush hour, handling westbound trains in the morning and eastbound trains in the evening, though some westbound trains will use Platform B. Most Montauk Branch trains pass through the station without stopping. East of the station, the Port Jefferson Branch splits from the Main Line at DIVIDE Interlocking.

P Platform level	Track 1	←      Port Jefferson Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Long Island City, or Penn Station (Westbury) ←      Ronkonkoma Branch toward Grand Central Madison or Penn Station (Mineola)
	Platform A, island platform
	Track 2	←      Port Jefferson Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Long Island City, or Penn Station (Westbury) ←      Port Jefferson Branch toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (Syosset) → ←      Ronkonkoma Branch AM rush hours toward Grand Central Madison or Penn Station (Mineola) ←      Ronkonkoma Branch toward Farmingdale or Ronkonkoma (Bethpage) → ←      Montauk Branch AM rush hours toward Long Island City (Mineola) ←      Montauk Branch PM rush hours toward Patchogue or Montauk (Babylon) →
	Platform B, island platform
	Track 3	←      Port Jefferson Branch toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (Syosset) → ←      Ronkonkoma Branch toward Farmingdale or Ronkonkoma (Bethpage) → ←      Montauk Branch PM rush hours toward Patchogue or Montauk (Babylon) →
G	Ground level	Exit/entrance, parking, buses

References

1. Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. III. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
2. Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
3. Morrison, David D.; Pakaluk, Valerie (2003). Long Island Rail Road Stations. Chicago: Arcadia. ISBN 0-7385-1180-3. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
4. LIRR Station History (TrainsAreFun.com) Archived January 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
5. "NYSDOT Highway Record Plans: Beginning 1900 | State of New York". data.ny.gov. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
6. Maiorana, Ronald (September 13, 1964). "The Watusi Opens New L.I. Station". The New York Times. p. 38. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
7. Bleyer, Bill (October 16, 2010). "Restoration completed on Hicksville LIRR eagle". Newsday. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
8. Bamberger, Werner (October 20, 1970). "Change at Jamaica Is Only a Memory For 12,000 Riders". The New York Times. p. 88. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
9. "Hicksville Station Improvements Project". A Modern LI. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
10. Twibell, Cory (May 25, 2012). "All Aboard: LIRR Revamping Hicksville Station". Hicksville Illustrated News. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
11. Castillo, Alfonso A. (December 23, 2017). "LIRR: Hicksville station renovation on track". Newsday. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
12. Castillo, Alfonso A. (September 8, 2017). "Hicksville LIRR platform reopens with upgrades". Newsday. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
13. "Hicksville Substation Replacement". A Modern LI. Retrieved July 4, 2018.

External links

• Hicksville – LIRR
• Hicksville LIRR timetable
• Steve Lynch's LIRR Maps, Photos, Charts, etc. (TrainsAreFun.com)
  • Hicksville Station History
  • 1962 Reconstruction Pamphlet; Pages 1, 2, 3, and 4
• DIVIDE Interlocking (The LIRR Today)
• Newbridge Road entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View