Long Island Rail Road: Main Line East

Book excerpt: The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the oldest railroad in the country still operating under its original name, was chartered in 1834 for the purpose of running trains from the Brooklyn waterfront to the eastern terminal at Greenport. The east end of the LIRR main line consists of a 70-mile stretch of track from Hicksville to Greenport. At one time, there were 29 passenger stations along this east end route, 14 of which are active today. A decommissioned signal tower and obsolete turntable are located on this route. Two stations, Riverhead and Greenport, are locations of the Railroad Museum of Long Island. The 23 miles of track between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma is electrified by third rail current, the electrification having been completed in 1987. Single-track territory since 1844, the line is currently being double-tracked as far east as Ronkonkoma.