Long Island Rail Road Map

Description:
This map shows railroads and stations on Long Island.

About Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York, from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County. Chartered in 1834 and beginning operations in 1835, it is the oldest railroad in the United States still operating under its original name.

The LIRR is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, carrying an average of over 336,000 passengers each weekday on more than 700 daily trains. It is owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which acquired the railroad in 1966.

The system consists of 11 branches and 126 stations across approximately 700 miles of track. Its main western terminals are Penn Station in Manhattan, Grand Central Madison (opened in 2023 as part of the East Side Access project), Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, and Hunterspoint Avenue and Long Island City in Queens. Jamaica Station in Queens serves as the principal transfer hub, where most branches converge.

Electrified service operates on third-rail direct current at 750 volts on the western portions of the network, while outer branches rely on diesel-electric locomotives. The rolling stock fleet includes M7 and M9 electric multiple units, along with bi-level coaches hauled by DE/DM dual-mode locomotives.

Historically, the LIRR was originally built as part of a route between New York City and Boston via a ferry connection across Long Island Sound. After competing rail lines along the Connecticut shore rendered this purpose obsolete, the railroad refocused on serving Long Island itself. The Pennsylvania Railroad acquired a controlling interest in 1900, leading to the construction of the East River tunnels and Penn Station, which opened in 1910.