Springfield Gardens was an island platform station that existed along the Babylon-Montauk Branch 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 ...

, in the Springfield Gardens, Queens section of Queens, New York City. The station was located between St. Albans and Rosedale Stations, north of Springfield Junction. The only visible evidence of the station today is a wide gap between the tracks.

History

It first opened around the 1870s by the

New York and Rockaway Railroad The Cedarhurst Cut-off was a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The line split from the LIRR's Main Line at Rockaway Junction (near Hollis) and ran south via Springfield Gardens and Cedarhur ...

as Springfield Station (a name also given to a former station on the Atlantic Branch near Higbie Avenue). It was originally located on Merrick Boulevard until May 1885 when it was moved to the southeast side of Springfield Road (now Springfield Boulevard). The line was electrified on May 21, 1925 and the station was renamed Springfield Gardens in October 1927. On July 24, 1936, the station was rebuilt as part of a grade elimination project.

Closure

On May 21, 1973, the LIRR announced plans to significantly reduce service at Union Hall Street, Springfield Gardens, and

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ro ...

, with only a few trains stopping during rush hours. At Springfield Gardens, service was limited to a single westbound train leaving at 7:41 a.m., and a single eastbound train, leaving at 5:20 p.m.. The station closed on October 13, 1979 due to very low ridership, nearby alternate forms of transportation, and the high cost of maintaining the station. In July 1979, only 51 people used the station. A LIRR spokesperson said that more frequent service was available at the nearby Locust Manor and Laurelton stops, and that bus service stopped nearby. The spokesman said that the high $500,000 cost of doing need maintenance work to the station building and platform meant it had to be closed.

References

Former Long Island Rail Road stations in New York City Railway stations in Queens, New York Railway stations in the United States opened in 1873 1873 establishments in New York (state) Railway stations closed in 1979 1979 disestablishments in New York (state) Jamaica, Queens {{QueensNY-railstation-stub