Merillon Avenue station

Merillon Avenue (/ˈmɛrɪlɒn/) is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line (Port Jefferson Branch service). It is located at Nassau Boulevard and Merillon Avenue in Garden City Park, New York. The station is wheelchair accessible with two side platforms and a cross-under at Nassau Boulevard.

Merillon Avenue
Merillon Avenue station as seen from the eastbound platform.
LocationNassau Boulevard & Merillon Avenue
Garden City Park, NY
Coordinates40.735164°N 73.662523°W / 40.735164; -73.662523
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Main Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone4
History
Opened1911
Rebuilt1958
ElectrifiedOctober 1926
750 V (DC) third rail
Previous namesClowesville (1837–1874)
Garden City (1874–1876)
Passengers
20061,533[1]
Services
Preceding station LIRR Following station
New Hyde Park
towards Jamaica, Atlantic Terminal, Long Island City or Penn Station
 Port Jefferson Branch Mineola
towards Huntington or Port Jefferson
     Ronkonkoma Branch does not stop here
     Oyster Bay Branch does not stop here
     Montauk Branch does not stop here
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road		 Following station
New Hyde Park
toward Long Island City or Penn Station
 Main Line Mineola
toward Greenport

History

Merillon Avenue station was established in 1911 near the former Clowesville station, which was established in June 1837 by the Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad. It was the closest LIRR station to the old Queens County courthouse (Nassau County became a separate county in 1899, splitting off from Queens County) off Jericho Turnpike. By 1845, it was used only when courts were in session.

From 1874-1876, the station was named "Garden City" in order to mislead travelers into thinking that the station served Alexander Turney Stewart's Garden City, which was already served by Garden City station along the Central Railroad of Long Island in 1872.[2]The court moved away in 1877 and the station fell by the wayside,[3] although some trains continued to stop there as late as June 1897.[4] Though re-established as a station in 1911, the station house itself was not built until 1912. The station was rebuilt in 1958, featuring a smaller structure, as well as a narrow, 11'6" bridge under the tracks for Nassau Boulevard; this bridge was replaced with a 14"-high bridge as part of the Main Line Expansion Project in October of 2019.[5]

LIRR massacre
Main article: Long Island Rail Road massacre

The Merillon Avenue station was the final stop on the 5:33 p.m. train from Penn Station to Hicksville on December 7, 1993, before Colin Ferguson opened gunfire at passengers who were white or Asian in a racially motivated attack. Six people were murdered and 19 others were wounded. Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was killed and whose son was seriously injured in the tragedy, pressed for tougher gun control laws and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1996. There are often memorial wreaths on the platform at the head of the eastbound tracks of the station on the anniversaries of the incident.[6]

Station enhancements

As part of the Main Line third track project, the Merillon Avenue station will be upgraded to accommodate full-length 12-car trains, and platform B will be relocated. Canopies, benches, signage, and security cameras will be installed. The station will be made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 via. the installation of elevators and ramps. The existing station building will be demolished and replaced with extra parking spaces. Amenities such as Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, artwork, and digital information displays would be included in the renovation.[7] The electrical substation at Merillon Avenue station will be replaced to make way for the third track.[8]

Platforms and tracks

This station has two high-level side platforms, each the length of ten train cars. During peak hours, both platforms can serve peak-direction trains in the opposite direction. Trains on the Oyster Bay Branch, Ronkonkoma Branch, and Montauk Branch pass through the station without stopping.

Platform A, side platform
Track 1 ←      Port Jefferson Branch toward Jamaica, Atlantic Terminal, Long Island City, or Penn Station (New Hyde Park)
←      Port Jefferson Branch PM rush hours toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (Mineola) →
Track 2 ←      Port Jefferson Branch AM rush hours toward Jamaica, Atlantic Terminal, Long Island City, or Penn Station (New Hyde Park)
←      Port Jefferson Branch toward Huntington or Port Jefferson (Mineola) →
Platform B, side platform

References
  1. Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
  2. "The Long Island Rail Road, a Comprehensive History - Part 3: The Age of Expansion: 1863-1880," by Vincent F. Seyfried (1966)
  3. Clowesville Station (Arrt's Arrchives)
  4. LIRR station history
  5. "Nassau Boulevard Bridge Replacement (Completed 10/2019)". A Modern LI. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  6. Merillon Avenue memorial wreaths (TheSubwayNut)
  7. "Merillon Avenue Station Enhancement". A Modern LI. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  8. "Merillon Avenue Substation Replacement". A Modern LI. Retrieved 2018-07-04.

Media related to Merillon Avenue (LIRR station) at Wikimedia Commons

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