| Rockaway Beach Branch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Out of service (Rego Park–Liberty Avenue) In service as IND Rockaway Line (Liberty Avenue–Rockaway Peninsula) |
| Owner | City of New York |
| Locale | Queens, New York, United States |
| Termini |
|
| Stations | 19 |
| Service | |
| Type | Passenger; freight (former) Rapid transit; disused (current) |
| System | Long Island Rail Road |
| Operator(s) | Long Island Rail Road |
| History | |
| Opened | 1880 (LIRR) 1956 (subway; south of Liberty Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard) |
| Closed | 1950 (Liberty Avenue–Rockaway Peninsula) 1962 (Liberty Avenue–Rego Park) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 4.8 miles (7.7 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Operating speed | ~35–45 mph (56–72 km/h) |
The Rockaway Beach Branch was a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in Queens, New York City, United States. The line left the Main Line at Whitepot Junction in Rego Park heading south via Ozone Park and across Jamaica Bay to Hammels in the Rockaways, turning west there to a terminal at Rockaway Park. Along the way it connected with the Montauk Branch near Glendale, the Atlantic Branch near Woodhaven, and the Far Rockaway Branch at Hammels.
After a 1950 fire, the Jamaica Bay bridge was closed and the line south of Ozone Park sold to the city, which rehabilitated the portion south of Liberty Avenue and connected it to the New York City Subway system as the IND Rockaway Line. The portion north of the subway connection was closed in 1962, and three proposals exist for the reuse of the line.