Editing Long Island Rail Road (section)

== Major stations ==
{{See also|List of Long Island Rail Road stations}}
[[File:Penn Station LIRR 2017.jpg|thumb|The former LIRR ticket counter at [[New York Penn Station]], which displays all locations accessible from Penn Station]]
[[File:LIC Yard-9-21-04.jpg|thumb|[[Long Island City station]] and yard]]
The LIRR operates out of four western terminals in New York City. These terminals are:
* [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Pennsylvania Station]], in [[Midtown Manhattan]], is the busiest of the western terminals, serving almost 500 daily trains.<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> It is reached via the [[Amtrak]]-owned [[East River Tunnels]] (the only LIRR-used trackage not owned by the LIRR) from the Main Line at [[Harold Interlocking]] in Long Island City. The New York City Subway's [[34th Street–Penn Station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)]] ({{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh south}}) and [[34th Street–Penn Station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)]] ({{NYCS trains|Eighth south}}) stations are adjacent to the terminal. It also connects LIRR with Amtrak and [[NJ Transit]] trains.
* {{stn|Grand Central Madison}} is located under [[Grand Central Terminal]] and was built as part of the [[East Side Access]] project.<ref name=esa>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/esa_alt.html |title=East Side Access |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=April 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417095600/http://web.mta.info/capital/esa_alt.html |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Service to the new terminal began on January 25, 2023.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ley|first=Ana|date=January 25, 2023|title=L.I.R.R. Service to Grand Central Begins Today at Long Last|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/nyregion/lirr-grand-central.html|access-date=January 25, 2023|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Provision was made for this route on the lower level of the [[63rd Street Tunnel]] under the [[East River]], which carries the New York City Subway's [[IND 63rd Street Line]] ({{NYCS trains|63rd IND}}) on its upper level. The East Side Access project is expected to reduce congestion while increasing the number of trains during peak hours.<ref>[[U.S. Department of Transportation]], [http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot11706.htm U.S. Transportation Secretary Signs Record $2.6&nbsp;Billion Agreement to Fund New Tunnel Network To Give Long Island Commuters Direct Access to Grand Central Station] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103003520/http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot11706.htm |date=January 3, 2007 }}, December 18, 2006</ref><ref>Second Avenue Sagas, [http://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/01/29/east-side-in-access-a-mid-project-post-mortem/ East Side in-Access: A mid-project post mortem] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407102125/http://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/01/29/east-side-in-access-a-mid-project-post-mortem/ |date=April 7, 2014 }}, January 29, 2014</ref> It serves as the primary terminal for the Hempstead Branch and serves all other electrified branches (as the LIRR's diesel fleet has a [[loading gauge]] too large for the 63rd Street Tunnel).<ref name="liw010620">{{cite news |last=Penner |first=Larry |date=January 6, 2020 |title=The Real Co$ts of LIRR East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal |publisher=Long Island Weekly |url=https://longislandweekly.com/the-real-cots-of-lirr-east-side-access-to-grand-central-terminal/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709192633/https://longislandweekly.com/the-real-cots-of-lirr-east-side-access-to-grand-central-terminal/ |archive-date=July 9, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Atlantic Terminal]], formerly known as Flatbush Avenue, in [[Downtown Brooklyn]] serves the [[West Hempstead Branch]], with limited service on other branches during the weekday peak. Other trains run as shuttles to Jamaica.<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> It is next to the New York City Subway's [[Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center (New York City Subway)|Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center]] station complex ({{NYCS trains|Atlantic-Pacific}}), providing easy access to [[Lower Manhattan]]. With the opening of East Side Access, service between Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica is served mostly by shuttles.
* {{lirrs|Long Island City}} - certain rush-hour trains run to one of two stations in [[Long Island City, Queens]]: the Long Island City station on the [[East River]], which is the oldest western terminal of the LIRR, or the {{lirrs|Hunterspoint Avenue}} station, which is 0.6 miles to the east.<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> From Hunterspoint Avenue, the [[Hunters Point Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)|Hunters Point Avenue subway station]] ({{NYCS trains|Flushing}}) can be reached. The Long Island City station is near the [[Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)|Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue]] subway station, also served by the {{NYCS trains|Flushing|time=nolink}}, and the Long Island City station also connects to the NYC Ferry's [[East River Ferry]] to Midtown or Lower Manhattan.

In addition, the [[Jamaica station]] is a major [[transport hub|hub station]] and transfer point in [[Jamaica, Queens]]. It has ten tracks and six platforms, plus [[rail yard|yard]] and bypass tracks. Passengers can transfer between trains on all LIRR lines except the [[Port Washington Branch]].<ref name=abouttheLIRR/> The sixth platform opened in February 2020, and exclusively serves [[Atlantic Branch]] shuttle trains to Brooklyn.<ref name="MTA-LIRR-Hicksville-2016">{{Cite web|date=September 21, 2016|title=$121 Million Initiative to Rebuild Hicksville Station Begins Construction; $64.9 Million Contract Award to Improve Jamaica Station|url=http://www.mta.info/news-lirr-long-island-rail-road-jamaica-hicksville-governor/2016/09/21/121-million-initiative|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206131605/http://www.mta.info/news-lirr-long-island-rail-road-jamaica-hicksville-governor/2016/09/21/121-million-initiative|archive-date=February 6, 2018|access-date=February 5, 2018|website=www.mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|language=en}}</ref> Transfer is also made to separate facilities for three subway services at the [[Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station]] ({{NYCS trains|Archer}}), a number of bus routes, and the [[AirTrain JFK|AirTrain]] automated [[people mover]] to [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Airtrain JFK |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/airtrain.htm |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=March 1, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226004222/http://www.mta.info/mta/airtrain.htm |archive-date=February 26, 2013 }}</ref> The railroad's headquarters are next to the station.<ref>[http://web.mta.info/lirr/jobpostings/ MTA LIRR&nbsp;– Employment Opportunities] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124215100/http://www.mta.info/lirr/jobpostings/ |date=January 24, 2007 }} (includes mailing address)</ref>