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(rshsdepot) Babylon, NY
Links:
http://www.lirrhistory.com/mar2000/babylon.jpg (1964 station - before renovations)
http://www.lirrhistory.com/march2001/baby1941.jpg (1941 postcard view)
http://www.lihistory.com/spectown/babyln01.jpg (old station in horsecart days)
Babylon: 135 Years of Service
From "Along the Track" the LIRR employee newsletter
The recently completed - except for the elevators, which are being finished up - Babylon station rebuilding project has given our customers at this important terminal a nicely designed, 25% larger space. The previous Babylon Station was built in 1964 to accommodate the grade separation project. It replaced an 1881-built structure that, at the time, was touted by newspapers as the "largest and best equipped east of Long Island City." The 1881 station replaced the first Babylon station, built in 1868 by the South Side Rail Road, which reached Babylon in November 1867. Babylon, and the rest of the South Side Rail Road, became part of our system in 1876. On May 21, 1925, the electrification of the Babylon Branch was completed.
While the 1964 station served its purpose, it suffered from somewhat cramped conditions and, with the escalators landing too close to the west side of the station building, awkward pedestrian flows. The $8 million project to create a new Babylon Station addressed those issues and more.
The new Babylon Station was developed to optimize the functionality of the space, improve its appearance, and comply with the latest ADA regulations. The project included the complete reconstruction of the station itself, new stairways, and rebuilt parking lots. The station building was actually relocated slightly west of its previous location in order to improve pedestrian flow around the escalators. Other improvements to the site include new taxi and bus staging areas, walkways, access roadways, taxi dispatch center, bus shelters, and an attractive plaza area with benches, planters, pavers, improved lighting and vendor space.
The replacement of the building took place in two phases due to the overlap in the location of the old and new stations. While the old station was still open, the east half of the new structure was built first, including the ticket office, partial waiting room and other facilities. Once that opened, in February 2001, the old station was closed and demolished, allowing the west half of the new structure to progress. That work was completed last September, with work continuing on the replacement of the elevators through this month.
Also of note to our customers is an increase in parking capacity. While rehabilitating Babylon's 10 lots, more spaces were added, including 10 additional ADA/handicapped spots.
This is just one of the projects the Railroad has undertaken in Babylon to improve conditions for our customers, our employees, and the community. Also on tap is the new Babylon Storehouse Facility on Albin Avenue (along the Central Branch). This new facility for the Signal Department will replace the previous structure with a more attractively-designed brick building and new landscaping and designated storage areas to improve the look of the site.
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #342
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org