Republic station

Republic was a station stop along the Ronkonkoma Branch which served employees of the Fairchild Engine & Airplane Manufacturing Company and the nearby Republic Airport from 1940 to the late 1980s. As part of a double-tracking project on the line, the station may be reopened.

Republic
Remains of the staircase to the former Republic station
LocationBroad Hollow Road and Conklin Street
Farmingdale, New York
Coordinates40.740278°N 73.421944°W / 40.740278; -73.421944
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Main Line
Platforms2 side platform
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeNone
History
OpenedDecember 9, 1940
Closed1986 or 1987
Services
None
Preceding station   LIRR   Following station
Former services
Farmingdale   Ronkonkoma Branch   Pinelawn

History

Original station

Republic station opened on December 9, 1940, with simple wooden shelters for passengers. When electrification was extended from Hicksville to Ronkonkoma in the 1980s, the LIRR proposed to close the stops at Republic, Grumman, Pineaire, Brentwood, and Deer Park to speed travel times and to avoid the cost of building high level platforms at lightly used stations.[1] The latter two were ultimately kept, but Republic closed in either 1986 or 1987 due to its low ridership and the high cost of new platforms.[2][3][4] The old station platforms have been removed, but the two staircases down to Route 110 remain, though gated off. The preliminary design plans for a new Republic station involves reopening and reusing these staircases.

Proposed reopening

As part of the current project to add double track from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma, the MTA is considering reopening Republic station.[5][6] The reopened station would serve the Route 110 corridor, a major north–south commercial route.[4] The station was cut from the project in 2010 due to budgetary issues, but revived in 2012.[7][8] The MTA Board included money for planning and engineering in the approved 2015-2019 Capital Plan, and anticipates funding construction through a future Capital Plan.[9]

References
  1. Goldman, Ari L. (May 14, 1983). "L.I.R.R. SELECTS 5 OF ITS STATIONS FOR ELIMINATION". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  2. "LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD Alphabetical Station Listing and History". TrainsAreFun. Archived from the original on May 26, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  3. Ain, Stewart (May 11, 2008). "Station Site Envisioned as Village". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  4. "Connect Long Island: Double Track Main Line & TODs" (PDF). Transportation Research Forum. April 3, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  5. "MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale (video)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  6. Castillo, Alfonso A. (October 3, 2013). "MTA's 20-year to-do list replaces LIRR diesel trains, more". Newsday. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  7. Castillo, Alfonso A. (April 26, 2010). "Plans for Republic Airport LIRR station put on hold". Newsday. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  8. Hinko, Christy (June 1, 2012). "Senators Announce $138 Million To Advance New Republic Train Station". Farmingdale Observer. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  9. "MTA Board Approves 2015-2019 Capital Plan". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 28, 2015.


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