Jamaica
Looking west at Jamaica
Station statistics
Lines	Long Island Rail Road: Main Line; Belmont Park Branch Hempstead Branch Oyster Bay Branch Port Jefferson Branch Ronkonkoma Branch Atlantic Branch; Far Rockaway Branch Long Beach Branch Montauk Branch; West Hempstead Branch Babylon Branch
Connections	New York City Subway: at Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport AirTrain JFK New York City Transit buses: Q24, Q30, Q31, Q43, Q44, Q54, and Q56 Long Island Bus: N4
5	5
Tracks	8
Other information
Opened	1876
Rebuilt	1913, 2001-2006
Accessible
Owned by	Long Island Rail Road
Fare zone	3

Jamaica Station (often referred to simply as Jamaica) is the major hub and headquarters of the Long Island Rail Road, and is located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The Main Line is a Rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U Belmont Park is a seasonal-use Long Island Rail Road station on the grounds of the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont New York. The Hempstead Branch is an electrified Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The Oyster Bay Branch is a Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The Port Jefferson Branch is a Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The Ronkonkoma Branch, occasionally called the Greenport Branch east of Ronkonkoma, is a Rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR The Atlantic Branch is an electrified Rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The Far Rockaway Branch is an electrified Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The Long Beach Branch is an electrified Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The Montauk - Bablyon Branch is a Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The West Hempstead Branch is an electrified Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The Babylon Branch is a fully-electrified Rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The New York City Subway is a Rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport is a station on the IND Archer Avenue Line and the BMT Archer Avenue Line of the New York City Subway AirTrain JFK is an 81- Mile (13- km) People mover system in New York City that connects John F New York City Transit buses, operating under the MTA New York City Bus brand is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations that operates in all five boroughs employing The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. Long Island Bus is the brand used by MTA Regional Bus Operations for its bus service servicing primarily Nassau County. Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. The City of New York It is the largest transit hub on Long Island and is one of the busiest railroad stations in the country with over 200,000 daily passengers. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches In the New York City area it ranks only behind Pennsylvania Station, Grand Central Terminal, and Secaucus Junction, with over 1,000 trains passing through it every day. Pennsylvania Station (commonly known as “Penn Station”) is the major intercity rail station and a major Commuter rail hub in New York City "Grand Central Station" redirects here For other uses see Grand Central. The Frank R Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station (known as Secaucus Transfer during planning stages is a major rail hub in Secaucus New Jersey. It has a direct rail connection to John F. Kennedy International Airport via AirTrain JFK. John F Kennedy International Airport is an International airport located in Queens County on Long Island in southeastern New York City about 12 miles (19 AirTrain JFK is an 81- Mile (13- km) People mover system in New York City that connects John F There are also elevator connections to the Archer Avenue Line of the New York City Subway at Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue (E J Z), directly below. The Archer Avenue Line is a Rapid transit line of the New York City Subway, mostly running under Archer Avenue in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens The New York City Subway is a Rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport is a station on the IND Archer Avenue Line and the BMT Archer Avenue Line of the New York City Subway The E Eighth Avenue Local is a Rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. The J Nassau Street Express and Z Nassau Street Express (earlier Jamaica Express) are two Rapid transit services of the B Division of the The J Nassau Street Express and Z Nassau Street Express (earlier Jamaica Express) are two Rapid transit services of the B Division of the The area just outside is served by the Q24, Q30, Q31, Q43, Q44, Q54, Q56, and N4 bus routes, with more available within a few blocks of the station. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of Bus routes in Queens, New York, United States. The Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority ( MTA Long Island Bus) operates a number of Bus routes in Nassau County New York, United

All LIRR services except the Port Washington Branch pass through Jamaica Station. The Port Washington Branch is an electrified two-track Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U The Main Line westwards leads to Long Island City and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, while the Atlantic Branch diverges along Atlantic Avenue to Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. The Main Line is a Rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U Long Island City is a rail terminal of the Long Island Rail Road in Long Island City Queens. Pennsylvania Station (commonly known as “Penn Station”) is the major intercity rail station and a major Commuter rail hub in New York City Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York The Atlantic Branch is an electrified Rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U Atlantic Avenue is an important street in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. Flatbush Avenue, also called the Atlantic Terminal, is the westernmost stop on the Long Island Rail Road 's Atlantic Branch at Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. The Montauk Branch also serves one daily train to/from Long Island City. The Montauk - Bablyon Branch is a Rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U East of Jamaica, these three lines diverge, with some branch services using the Main Line, some using the Atlantic Branch, and some using the Montauk Branch.

Because of its central location on all but one of the services, it is common for commuters to have to "change at Jamaica", meaning switch from one train to another heading for his or her final destination. "Change at Jamaica" is common lingo among LIRR riders.

The main entrance to the station, where tickets may be purchased and where waiting areas are located, is a 100-year old building that also serves as the offices and headquarters of the Long Island Rail Road Company.

Configuration and operation

Jamaica functions as the operational hub for the system. The platforms at Jamaica are designed to facilitate the arrival of several trains at once. During the morning rush, westbound trains, originating from one of three lines and heading to one of the three New York terminals, are scheduled to arrive at Jamaica simultaneously on tracks 1, 2, and 3. Passengers can then cross over to the platform containing their train heading to their destination terminal by either utilizing stairs or passing through the train on track 2. In the evening commute, this process is reversed. Eastbound trains originate at one of the New York terminals destined for one of the branch lines. These trains arrive on tracks 6, 7, and 8 and allow commuters to cross over to the desired outbound train. The middle tracks – 4 and 5 – share a single platform which is utilized during both the morning and evening rush hours to provide passengers ability to transfer to their destination train on the other side of the platform.

Expansion

The new steel glass canopy.

In 2006, the MTA completed a $387 million renovation project, begun in 2001 and carried out in conjunction with the construction of AirTrain JFK's terminal (the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey contributed $100 million toward the project). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. AirTrain JFK is an 81- Mile (13- km) People mover system in New York City that connects John F The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ( PANYNJ) is a bi-state Port district, established in 1921 (as the Port of New York Authority) through

The project had two goals: Passenger-oriented renovations included new platforms and pedestrian bridge, a central elevator bank linking the LIRR to the street and to the Sutphin Blvd subway station, a new mezzanine connecting to AirTrain and a new steel and glass canopy over the elevated tracks. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 Glass in the common sense refers to a Hard, Brittle, transparent Solid, such as that used for Windows many ^[1] The focal point of the project was the Jamaica Control Center, built by Tishman Construction Corporation and Bechtel. Bechtel Corporation ( Bechtel Group) is the largest Engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 9th-largest privately owned company in the The JCC houses the LIRR offices, railroad control center and MTA Police. ^[2] Overall, the renovations enlarged the station and have made it more modern and efficient, providing easier access to all eight LIRR tracks. The entire station complex, including AirTrain and the subway, is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA is the short title of United States ( codified at et seq The project was named "2006 Project of the Year" by the Long Island branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. ^[3]

See also

• Long Island Rail Road
• East Side Access
• Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project

References

• Port Authority Annual Report 2001

External links

• MTA Long Island Rail Road
• MTA-LIRR Official Jamaica Station Website
• LIRR History website
• Jamaica Station (The SubwayNut)
• Buildings.com

• Jamaica (LIRR station) is at coordinates 40°41′58″N 73°48′31″W / 40.699511, -73.808727 (Jamaica (LIRR station))Coordinates: 40°41′58″N 73°48′31″W / 40.699511, -73.808727 (Jamaica (LIRR station))