Babylon Branch

Babylon Branch
Babylon Branch train #108 departs the Lynbrook station, bound for Babylon.
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Long Island Rail Road
Locale	Nassau and Suffolk County, New York, USA
Termini	Valley Interlocking Babylon
Stations	14
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Long Island Rail Road
Services	Babylon Branch   Montauk Branch   West Hempstead Branch
Operator(s)	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Ridership	11,606,943 (annual ridership, 2023)[1]
History
Opened	1867 (as part of the Southern Railroad of Long Island)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Third rail, 750 V DC
Route map Show interactive map Legend Main Line to Penn Station, Grand Central, or Long Island City Atlantic Zone 1 Zone 3 9.0 mi 14.5 km Jamaica ​​​ Atlantic Branch via Laurelton Main Line to Greenport & Central Branch 11.8 mi 19 km St. Albans Queens Nassau Zone 3 Zone 4 16.1 mi 25.9 km Valley Stream Far Rockaway West Hempstead 17.7 mi 28.5 km Lynbrook Long Beach Zone 4 Zone 7 19.3 mi 31.1 km Rockville Centre 21.3 mi 34.3 km Baldwin 22.6 mi 36.4 km Freeport 24.3 mi 39.1 km Merrick 25.4 mi 40.9 km Bellmore 26.5 mi 42.6 km Wantagh 27.7 mi 44.6 km Seaford 28.6 mi 46 km Massapequa 29.4 mi 47.3 km Massapequa Park Nassau Suffolk Zone 7 Zone 9 31.3 mi 50.4 km Amityville 32.4 mi 52.1 km Copiague 33.7 mi 54.2 km Lindenhurst Montauk via Central Branch 36.6 mi 58.9 km Babylon Montauk Distances shown from Long Island City via the Lower Montauk Branch This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon; in other words, the Babylon Branch is a rail service rather than an actual track. The electrification of the Montauk Branch ends east of the Babylon station, so the Babylon Branch is mostly served by electric trains.

The west end of the "Babylon Branch" is the junction between the West Hempstead Branch and Montauk Branch (Valley Interlocking); St. Albans, the only stop on the Montauk Branch west of Valley Stream, is serviced only by West Hempstead Branch trains. Some Montauk Branch trains operate nonstop through Babylon Branch stations until reaching Babylon, though others use the Central Branch between Belmont Junction west of Babylon station and a junction at Beth Interlocking on the Main Line southeast of Bethpage Station, running to New York City via the Main Line.^[3][4] On weekends, Babylon Branch trains typically stop at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens in the eastbound direction as opposed to other Main Line trains that serve other branches.^[4]

The Babylon Branch portion of the Montauk Branch is completely grade separated with bridges over all intersecting roadways. New York State Route 231 and the Meadowbrook Parkway are the two exceptions to this; the tracks pass under these roadways.