The Rockville Centre station is a
station along the
Babylon Branch
The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon; in other words, the Babylon Branch is a ...
of the
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...
. It is officially at North Village Avenue and Front Street north of
Sunrise Highway
New York State Route 27 (NY 27) is a long state highway that runs east–west from Interstate 278 (I-278) in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York. Its two most prominent com ...
in
Rockville Centre, New York
Rockville Centre, commonly abbreviated as RVC, is an incorporated village located in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 24,023 at the 2010 census.
Histo ...
, but the station property spreads west to North Center Avenue and east to North Park Avenue. Parking is available throughout the Village of Rockville Centre, near the station for those with residential and non-residential permits. The station is east of the former
Rockville Centre Bus Depot
The Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) is the local bus system serving Nassau County, New York. It also serves parts of western Suffolk County, New York as well as eastern portions of the New York City borough of Queens. It was formerly operated ...
. The station is from
Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals.
Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to
Current train stations
* Baltimore Penn Station
* Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...
.
History
Early history
Rockville Centre station was originally built by the
South Side Railroad of Long Island
The South Side Railroad of Long Island was a railroad company in the U.S. state of New York. Chartered in 1860 and first opened in 1867 as a competitor to the Long Island Rail Road, it was reorganized in 1874 as the Southern Railroad of Long Isla ...
on October 28, 1867 and remodeled in July 1881. The station was rebuilt on October 14, 1901, as the original station was moved to a private location that year and razed in 2004.
Grade crossing elimination project
The second station was razed in March 1949 as part of a grade elevation project that would dominate the Babylon Branch throughout the post-WWII era. A temporary station was built southeast of the former location between April 19 and April 22, 1949.
Rockville Centre station was the site of
a major railroad accident on February 17, 1950 that resulted in the deaths of 32 people, and serious injury of over 100 people. This occurred nine months before a
similar accident in
Kew Gardens, Queens
Kew Gardens is a neighborhood in the central area of the New York City borough of Queens. Kew Gardens is bounded to the north by the Union Turnpike and the Jackie Robinson Parkway (formerly the Interboro Parkway), to the east by the Van Wyck Exp ...
that killed 79 people, and injured hundreds more. The current elevated structure was opened on July 17–18, 1950, and renovated toward the end of the 20th Century.
Station renovation
On August 2, 1982, work began on a $1.2 million project to extend the platform from to accommodate 12-car trains. The concrete platform at the station would be completely replaced. The project was to be done in multiple phases, and was scheduled to be completed in October 1983. As part of the project, the bathrooms and waiting room at the station were repainted, the stairway to the west of the lower level waiting room was replaced, and a new stairway would be built at the far western end of the platform. In addition, an elevator was to be constructed at the station. In August 1983, the LIRR awarded the contract to construct the new stairway. A dedication ceremony for the project took place on January 25, 1984. At that time, the elevator was slated to be completed in spring 1984.
In March 1985, the contract for the new stairway was cancelled since the manufacturer did not provide any design drawings. The contract was rebid and was awarded again in August 1985, with an estimated cost of $30,000. At the same time, the only existing staircase at the western end of the station had been removed, and would not be replaced until October 1985. Since the LIRR was unable to reduce the six-to-seven-month time period needed to fabricated the stairs, it was not able to get them installed by November 1985, and set a new completion date of February 1, 1986. In January 1986, work began on the installation of the new western stairway, but stopped after two days as the LIRR said the manufacturer made measurement mistakes. Work resumed later that month, and was expected to be completed by the end of the month.
Station layout
The station has one 12-car-long high-level
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
between the two tracks.
In popular culture
Though some scenes from the 2004 movie ''
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (also simply known as ''Eternal Sunshine'') is a 2004 American romantic science fiction drama film written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Michel Gondry, and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. P ...
'' took place at Rockville Centre station, they were actually shot at
Mount Vernon East station
Mount Vernon East station is a commuter rail station on the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, located in Mount Vernon, New York. The station is the first station north of the junction where the New Haven Line splits from the Harlem Line and ...
on the
Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State public benefit corporations, public authority of the U.S. state of New Yor ...
New Haven Line
The Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line is a commuter rail line running from New Haven, Connecticut to New York City. It joins the Harlem Line at Mount Vernon, New York and continues south to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The New Haven ...
.
References
External links
ROCKY Interlocking (The LIRR Today)Rockville Centre Station Photo; March 11, 2007 (Unofficial LIRR History Website)Village Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street ViewStation House from Google Maps Street ViewPark Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{LIRR stations navbox
Long Island Rail Road stations in Nassau County, New York
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1867
LIRR station
1867 establishments in New York (state)