Editing Long Island Rail Road (section)

=== Former branches ===
The railroad has dropped a number of branches due to lack of ridership over the years. Part of the [[Rockaway Beach Branch]] became part of the [[IND Rockaway Line]] of the [[New York City Subway]], while others were downgraded to freight branches, and the rest [[Abandoned railway|abandoned]] entirely. Additionally, the Long Island Rail Road operated trains over portions of the [[Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company|Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT)]] elevated and subway lines until 1917.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The BMT A Technical and Operational History|last=Fazio|first=Alfred E|year=2008|isbn=978-1-60702-864-2|pages=28–31|publisher=BRT Services }}</ref>
*The [[Bethpage Branch]] ran north from the Main Line and Central Branch at [[Bethpage, New York|Bethpage]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=BETHPAGE BRANCH|url=http://www.arrts-arrchives.com/bethpagebr.html|access-date=June 4, 2020|website=www.arrts-arrchives.com}}</ref>
*The [[Bushwick Branch]], also called the Bushwick Lead Track, is a freight railroad branch that runs from Bushwick, Brooklyn, to Fresh Pond Junction in Queens, where it connects with the Montauk Branch.
*The Camp Upton Branch was a short branch north from the Main Line to [[Camp Upton]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/campupton.htm|title=Camp Upton – Upton Junction, LIRR|work=trainsarefun.com|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203062727/http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/campupton.htm|archive-date=February 3, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The [[Cedarhurst Cut-off]], officially known as the '''New York and Rockaway Railroad''', was an extension of the [[Montauk Branch]] from its merger with the [[Atlantic Branch]] at [[Springfield Junction (Long Island Rail Road)|Springfield Junction]] to [[Cedarhurst, New York|Cedarhurst]], where it would turn west and run parallel to the [[Far Rockaway Branch]] until reaching Mott Avenue in [[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]].
*The [[Central Extension (Long Island Rail Road)|Central Extension]] ran from Garden City eastward to Central Park (¾ mile south of current Bethpage station) and as far east as Bethpage Junction. The line was cut back to the point where it stopped at Island Trees. Today the western part of track still in use for freight and storage, and is officially known today as the [[Garden City Secondary]].
*The Chestnut Street Incline (Brooklyn) between Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street was opened in 1898 to allow for thru-operation over the Jamaica/Broadway Elevated Line to the East River ferry terminal. In 1909 thru passenger service to Manhattan via the [[Williamsburg Bridge]] was established in coordination with the [[Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company]] (BRT). LIRR Passenger service operated to Chambers Street between May 1909 and September 1917.
*The [[Creedmoor Branch]], a remnant of the [[Central Railroad of Long Island]] (CRRLI) of [[Alexander Turney Stewart]], was a short branch from the Main Line at [[Floral Park, NY|Floral Park]] northwest through [[Creedmoor, NY|Creedmoor]]. It once went as far northwest as [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]].
*The [[Evergreen Branch]] connected the [[Bushwick Branch]] east of [[Bushwick Terminal]] with the [[Bay Ridge Branch]] north of [[East New York, Brooklyn|East New York]].
*The [[Flushing Bay Freight Spur]] extended north from the [[Whitestone Branch]], then across the [[Woodside Branch]] and then the connecting line between both branches before terminating along the south coast of [[Flushing Bay]].<ref name="auto">[[:File:FNS front.jpg|1873 Flushing and North Side Railroad map]]</ref>
*The [[Glendale Cut-off]] ran south from the Main Line at [[Rego Park, Queens|Rego Park]] to the Montauk Branch at [[Glendale, Queens|Glendale]]. There it became the [[Rockaway Beach Branch]], running south across [[Jamaica Bay]] to [[Hammels, Queens|Hammels]] and west to [[Rockaway Park, Queens|Rockaway Park]]. The Rockaway Beach Branch south of [[Ozone Park, Queens|Ozone Park]] is now the [[IND Rockaway Line]] of the [[New York City Subway]].
*The [[Manhattan Beach Branch]] ran south from the Bay Ridge Branch at [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]] to [[Manhattan Beach, New York|Manhattan Beach]].
*The [[Manorville Branch]] or Manor Branch ran from the Main Line at [[Manorville, New York|Manorville]] southeast to the Montauk Branch at [[Eastport, New York|Eastport]]. It was originally part of the Sag Harbor Branch (''See below'').
*The [[Mineola-West Hempstead Branch]] ran north of the terminus of the [[West Hempstead Branch]] across [[NY 24]] to [[Country Life Press (LIRR station)|Country Life Press Station]] where it briefly joined the [[Hempstead Branch]] then ran north of the [[Garden City Secondary]] towards a wye at [[Mineola (LIRR station)|Mineola Station]] with one branch that terminated at the station and another that crossed the main line and ended near the southern terminus of the [[Oyster Bay Branch]].
*The [[Montauk Cut-off]] was a short connecting track between the Lower Montauk Branch and the Main Line in Long Island City that allowed trains to change direction without entering the [[Long Island City station]].<ref>{{cite news |title=MTA offers old railway bridge |work=[[TimesLedger Newspapers|TimesLedger]] |year=2015 |volume=3 |number=39 |url=https://qns.com/assets/pdf/2015_39tl.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://qns.com/assets/pdf/2015_39tl.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|page=1}}</ref>
*The [[Northport Branch]] ran northeast of the current [[Port Jefferson Branch]] between [[Greenlawn, New York|Greenlawn]] and [[Northport, New York|Northport Village]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lirrhistory.com/northprt.html|title=LIRR Northport Spur|work=lirrhistory.com|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930233154/http://www.lirrhistory.com/northprt.html|archive-date=September 30, 2012|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
*The [[North Shore Freight Branch]] ran from the Main Line at [[Sunnyside Yard]] west to the [[East River]] where [[Gantry Plaza State Park]] is now.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/crossing/XingLocResults.aspx?state=36&countycity=081&railroad=&radionm=County&street=&xingtype=3&xingstatus=1&xingpos=1|title=8.02 – Query by Location|work=dot.gov|access-date=April 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413200113/http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/crossing/XingLocResults.aspx?state=36&countycity=081&railroad=&radionm=County&street=&xingtype=3&xingstatus=1&xingpos=1|archive-date=April 13, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/transportation/deck11.pdf Page 252] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104947/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/transportation/deck11.pdf |date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> Originally built by the [[Flushing and North Side Railroad]], some of the surviving right-of-way can be found at the Arch Street Shops within the Sunnyside Yard.
*The [[Roosevelt Field Spur]] branched off northward from the current [[Garden City Secondary]] just north of Commercial Avenue. From there, it crossed Stewart Avenue just west of present-day South Street before turning slightly northeast, crossing over the Meadowbrook Parkway. The overpass, as well as sections along the sidewalk on South Street, can still be seen today. From there, it continued north before curving east and coming to an end near Zeckendorf Boulevard. The line was used for freight only. 
*The [[Sag Harbor Branch]] ran north from the Montauk Branch at [[Bridgehampton, New York|Bridgehampton]] to [[Sag Harbor, New York|Sag Harbor]].
*The [[Wading River Branch]] ran east from Port Jefferson to [[Wading River, New York|Wading River]], serving the towns of [[Mount Sinai, New York|Mount Sinai]], [[Miller Place, New York|Miller Place]], [[Rocky Point, New York|Rocky Point]], and [[Shoreham, New York|Shoreham]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arrts-arrchives.com/contact.html|title=Wading River Branch|work=arrts-arrchives.com|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201081314/http://arrts-arrchives.com/contact.html|archive-date=February 1, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The [[White Line (Long Island Rail Road)|White Line]], which was built by the LIRR subsidiary '''Newtown and Flushing Railroad''' ran south of the Port Washington Branch between [[Winfield Junction (LIRR station)|Winfield Junction]] and [[Flushing Main Street (LIRR station)|Flushing]] between 1873 and 1876.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://arrts-arrchives.com/fnrr.html|title=white line|work=arrts-arrchives.com|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201081307/http://arrts-arrchives.com/fnrr.html|archive-date=February 1, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The [[Whitestone Branch]], which was originally built by the [[Flushing and North Side Railroad]] (F&NS), split from the Port Washington Branch near [[Mets–Willets Point station (LIRR)|Mets–Willets Point station]] and ran north and east to [[Whitestone, New York|Whitestone]].
*The [[Woodside Branch]] ran north of the current Port Washington Branch between [[Woodside, Queens|Woodside]] and east of the present [[Corona Yard]] west of the [[Flushing River]]. It also had a connecting spur to the Whitestone Branch.