Westbury station (LIRR)

Westbury is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line. All trains for the Port Jefferson Branch and Ronkonkoma Branch run through it, though only some trains on the Port Jefferson branch stop (and only a few on the Ronkonoma Branch do). It is located at Union and Post Avenues in Westbury, New York. It is 23.4 miles (37.7 km) from Penn Station. The station is fully wheelchair accessible. It has two side platforms and two tracks.

This article is about the station in New York, United States. For the station in Wiltshire, England, see Westbury railway station.
Westbury
Westbury station on Union Avenue
LocationUnion Avenue & Post Avenue
Westbury, NY
Coordinates40.753404°N 73.586273°W / 40.753404; -73.586273
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Main Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Connections Nassau Inter-County Express: n22, n35
Construction
ParkingYes
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone7
History
Opened1837
Rebuilt1883, 1914, 1972, c. 2001–2005
ElectrifiedOctober 19, 1970
750 V (DC) third rail
Passengers
20063,903[1]
Services
Preceding station LIRR Following station
Carle Place
towards Jamaica, Atlantic Terminal, Long Island City or Penn Station
 Port Jefferson Branch Hicksville
towards Huntington or Port Jefferson
Carle Place
towards Atlantic Terminal or Penn Station
 Ronkonkoma Branch
limited service
 Hicksville
towards Greenport via Ronkonkoma
     Montauk Branch does not stop here
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road		 Following station
Carle Place
toward Long Island City or Penn Station
 Main Line Hicksville
toward Greenport

History
The original Westbury station was the J.P. Kelsey General Store.

Westbury station was built sometime in March 1837 with the opening of the LIRR to Hicksville. The station was closed between June and September of the same year, briefly replaced by the nearby Carle Place station.[2] Throughout much of the mid-19th Century, the J.P. Kelsey Branch Store served as the depot.[3] The second station was built between April and June 1883. The third station was built in 1914, and was electrified in October 1970, along with the rest of the Port Jefferson Branch between Mineola and Huntington Stations.[4] It had a major remodeling around 1972, and another one sometime between 2001 and 2005.[5] In 2000, a woman was stabbed to death in the underpass beneath the tracks.[6]

On February 26, 2019, a local eastbound train to Hicksville collided with a truck at the School Street railroad crossing just east of the station as it was accelerating out of the station. A few seconds after that collision, a westbound Ronkonkoma Branch express train headed for Penn Station collided with the already slammed truck at the crossing and derailed past it, slamming into the Westbound platform's eastern end. The collision caused extensive damage to both the Westbound platform (easternmost two car lengths), and LIRR M7 train car #7425, killing the 3 occupants of the truck, and causing a few power poles to be replaced.[7] The crossing was eliminated as part of the Third Track Project from May 2020-November 2020 where the cars now go under the tracks.

Post Avenue Bridge replacement
LIRR construction workers replacing the Post Avenue bridge next to the station in October 2017.

The station is located next to a bridge over Post Avenue that had an 11-foot-10-inch (3.61 m) clearance that was installed during the 1914 rebuild. The bridge was hit by between five and nine high trucks per year between 2010 and 2016, causing numerous train delays in both directions. In October 2017, the LIRR replaced the old bridge with a new bridge. Despite the fact that the previous bridge was 103 years old, it was still considered to be in good condition. However, the bridge had to be replaced in preparation for the LIRR third track project; the new span had a 14-foot (4.3 m) clearance and a capacity of three tracks.[8]

Station enhancements

Also as part of the third track project, the Westbury station will be upgraded to accommodate full-length 12-car trains. Both platforms would be replaced, and Platform B will be relocated. Canopies, benches, signage, and security cameras will be installed. The station, which is already compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, would be made more accessible via the installation of elevators and ramps, as well as a new overpass. Amenities such as Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, artwork, and digital information displays would be included in the renovation.[9] The electrical substation at Westbury station will be replaced to make way for the third track,[10] and a parking garage would be installed north of the station.[11] The village of Westbury wants to redevelop the land south of the station.[12]

Station layout

This station has two high-level side platforms, each 12 cars long. During rush hours, trains will stop at both platforms in the peak direction, though this service pattern is expected to change with the addition of a third track. Most Ronkonkoma Branch trains, some Port Jefferson Branch, and all Montauk Branch trains pass through the station without stopping.

P
Platform level
Platform A, side platform
Track 1 ←      Port Jefferson Branch toward Jamaica, Atlantic Terminal, Long Island City, or Penn Station (Carle Place)
←      Ronkonkoma Branch limited service toward Atlantic Terminal or Penn Station (Carle Place)
←      Port Jefferson Branch PM rush hours toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (Hicksville) →
←      Ronkonkoma Branch PM rush hours toward Farmingdale or Ronkonkoma (Hicksville) →
Track 2 ←      Port Jefferson Branch AM rush hours toward Jamaica, Atlantic Terminal, Long Island City, or Penn Station (Carle Place)
←      Ronkonkoma Branch AM rush hours toward Atlantic Terminal or Penn Station (Carle Place)
←      Port Jefferson Branch toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (Hicksville) →
←      Ronkonkoma Branch limited service toward Farmingdale or Ronkonkoma (Hicksville) →
Platform B, side platform
G Ground level Exit/entrance, parking, buses

References
  1. Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
  2. Westbury Hempstead - Carle Place (Arrt's Arrchives)
  3. The Long Island Rail Road: The age of expansion, 1863-1880 Vincent Seyfried; Page 188
  4. 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.
  5. LIRR station History (TrainsAreFun.com)
  6. Robert Gearty (June 15, 2000). "BOYFRIEND CHARGED IN TRAIN STATION SLAY ARGUMENT LEADS TO FATAL STABBING IN WESTBURY". Daily News. New York. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  7. http://longisland.news12.com/story/40032821/lirr-train-strikes-truck-on-tracks-in-westbury
  8. "news - Westbury's Post Avenue Bridge Replaced Ahead of Schedule". MTA. October 23, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  9. "Westbury Station Enhancement". A Modern LI. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  10. "Westbury Substation Replacement". A Modern LI. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  11. "Westbury North Parking Structure". A Modern LI. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  12. "Westbury South Parking and LIRR Lot Development". A Modern LI. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
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