- Mineola (LIRR station)
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This article is about a Long Island Railroad station in Nassau County, New York. For the former Texas & Pacific and current Amtrak railroad station in Texas, see Mineola (Amtrak station).
Mineola 
Mineola Station, where a long-standing sign company welcomes commuters to the Village of Mineola.Station statistics Address Front Street & Mineola Boulevard
Mineola, NYCoordinates 40°44′25″N 73°38′28″W / 40.740291°N 73.641025°WCoordinates: 40°44′25″N 73°38′28″W / 40.740291°N 73.641025°W Lines Connections Long Island Bus: N22, N23, N24, N40, N41, N78, N79 Platforms 2 side platforms Tracks 2 Parking yes Bicycle facilities yes Other information Opened 1837 Rebuilt 1872, 1883, 1923, 2001 Electrified October 1926
750V (DC) third railAccessible 
Owned by MTA Fare zone 4 Formerly Branch, Hempstead Branch Traffic Passengers (2006) 10,348[1] Services Preceding station LIRR Following station toward New York terminalsMain Line
(Port Jefferson Branch)
(also Ronkonkoma Branch)toward Greenport or Port JeffersonOyster Bay Branch toward Oyster Baytoward New York terminalsMontauk Branch toward MontaukMineola is a train station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road in the village of Mineola, New York. All trains for the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma, and Oyster Bay branches run through this station, as well as a few for the Montauk Branch. As of May 2011, 145 trains stop at this station every weekday,[2] more than any other station east of Jamaica. It is the eighth-busiest station on the LIRR in terms of weekday boardings, with 10,348 boardings per day in 2006.[3]
Contents
Location
Mineola lies in the center of the town of the same name. Specifically, it is situated to the west of Mineola Boulevard between Station Road to the south and Front Street to the north.
Transit-oriented development
As one of the LIRR's busiest stations and near the center of Nassau County, the Village of Mineola Planning Committee created a master plan for the town meant to encourage transit-oriented development within a few blocks' radius of the station. Much of the plan involves creating links in the surrounding street grid, streetscape improvements, and pedestrian zones.[4] The Long Island Index, which aggregates data and plans about the island, has listed Mineola as one of the most high-profile targets for smart growth, as of 2010 noting that the town is about halfway through the process of revitalization.[5]
History
Mineola Station was originally built on the south side of the tracks in 1837 as "Branch Station", then later renamed "Hempstead Branch Station" when the Long Island Railroad was expanded to Hicksville. The station was renovated in June 1872, but a second depot was built between May and June 1883. This station was razed in 1923, and the third one was relocated to the north side of the tracks on September 22, 1923.[6] The enclosed shelter was built at the old station house's location (See below). A reconstruction project took place in 2001.
The second shelter across the tracks
With its connection to the Oyster Bay Branch, the Mineola station has always been a major railroad junction, but even moreso in the 19th and much of the 20th Century. On the south side of the station a wye existed between the power sub-station[clarification needed] for a line that connected the West Hempstead Branch with the Oyster Bay Branch.[7] Sometimes referred to as the Garden City Branch, the east branch of this wye began at Third Street then crossed Main Street, then[clarification needed] the main line itself before connecting with the Oyster Bay Branch until it was eliminated in 1928.[clarification needed] The rest of the line was eliminated in 1966.[8]
Station layout
Mineola station has two side platforms and two tracks, both slightly-offset platforms long enough to accommodate 12 railway cars. The north platform, next to Track 1, is generally used by westbound trains (toward New York City); the south platform, next to Track 2, is generally used by eastbound trains. The south platform could become an island platform, if a third track on the Main Line is built.
The main station house is on the north side of the tracks, at Front Street and Mineola Boulevard. The station is wheelchair accessible and has a crossover and a grade crossing for pedestrians at the east end. A smaller enclosed shelter is on the opposite (south) side of the tracks. The Oyster Bay Branch splits away at a grade crossing just east of the pedestrian crossing.
Mineola Intermodal Center
The transit center, diagonally across from the station.MTA Long Island Bus operates bus service to the Mineola Intermodal Center on the south side of the station. Prior to the opening of the intermodal center on October 16, 2006, bus stops were located at 3rd Street, a block away from the station. Seven MTA Long Island Bus routes stop there, as well as local taxicab services.
MTA Long Island Bus Connections
- N22: Hicksville-Jamaica.
- N23: Mineola-Manorhaven.
- N24: Roosevelt Field/Mitchel Field/East Meadow-Jamaica.
- N40: Freeport-Mineola.
- N41: Freeport-Mineola.
- N78: Mineola-Plainview.
- N79: Mineola-Walt Whitman Mall.
References
- ^ Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
- ^ "LIRR Timetable for Mineola". http://mta.info/lirr/Timetable/Station/PortJeffersonPJ1.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ 2006 ridership by station Long Island Rail Road Retrieved 2011-07-17
- ^ "Comprehensive master plan for the Village of Mineola". Village of Mineola. November 2005. http://www.mineola-ny.gov/cmp/FinalCompPlan.pdf. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Places to grow: an analysis of the potential for transit-accessible housing and jobs in Long Island’s downtowns and station areas". Long Island Index. http://www.longislandindex.org/fileadmin/Reports_and_Maps/2010_Index/2010_Index.pdf. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ LIRR Station History (TrainsAreFun.com)
- ^ Former Mineola to West Hempstead Branch (Unofficial LIRR History Web Site)
- ^ Mineola Station History (Steve Lynch's LIRR Maps, Photos, Charts, etc. @ TrainsAreFun.com)
External links
Media related to Mineola (LIRR station) at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:- Mineola, New York
- Long Island Rail Road stations
- Railway stations opened in 1837
- Transportation in Nassau County, New York
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
