Elmhurst station (LIRR)

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. In 2014, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had proposed to rebuild the station.[1] As of 2018, only a preliminary design study is funded.[2]

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.
LocationBroadway between Whitney and Cornish Avenues.
Elmhurst, Queens, New York City
Coordinates40°44′29″N 73°52′45.8″W
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Port Washington Branch
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeELM
Fare zone1
History
Opened1855 (NY&F)
ClosedJanuary 1, 1985
Rebuilt1888, 1927
ElectrifiedYes
Previous namesNewtown (1855–1897)
Former services
Preceding station LIRR Following station
Winfield Junction
towards Penn Station
 Port Washington Branch Corona
towards Great Neck or Port Washington

History

The first depot opened as Newtown around 1855 by the Flushing Railroad,[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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[6] of the capital program, the agency postponed the construction of the new station, only including $3 million to fund station design.[7]

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. "MTA Capital Program 2015-2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transit Authority. September 23, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2015. 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. Barca, Christopher (February 15, 2018). "Elmhurst LIRR stop still a long way off". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  3. "North Shore Railroad". Arrt's Arrchives. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  4. "LIRR Station History". TrainsAreFun.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  5. Trapasso, Clare (March 15, 2012). "Queens lawmakers urge LIRR to reopen Elmhurst station". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  6. 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 January 25, 2018.
  7. "MTA Capital Program 2015-2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transit Authority. July 31, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018. 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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