Babylon Branch

The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The service is the identification for trains that serve the section of the longer Montauk Branch from Valley Stream east to Babylon. As the electrification of the Montauk Branch ends east of the Babylon station, the Babylon Branch is characteristically served with electric trains.

The west end of the Babylon Branch is at the junction between the West Hempstead Branch and Montauk Branch (Valley Interlocking); the Montauk Branch from Valley Stream west to Jamaica is part of the West Hempstead Branch service. Trains that continue past the east end of the Babylon Branch are known as Montauk Branch trains; several of these use the Central Branch between Belmont Junction west of the Babylon station and a junction at Beth Interlocking on the Main Line southeast of the Bethpage Station, running to New York City via the Main Line.[1] [2] 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.[2]

The Babylon Branch portion of the Montauk Branch is fully grade separated with bridges over almost all intersecting roadways.

{| class="toc" id="toc"

Contents
[hide]*1 History
 * 2 Stations
 * 3 References
 * 4 External links
 * }

[edit] History
See also: Montauk Branch#History

The South Side Railroad of Long Island in the 1860s built what was to become the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The Babylon Branch as a separate operational entity began as the electrification of the Montauk Branch between Valley Stream and Babylon on May 20, 1925. Eventually, this would also include the former "Springfield Branch" which the Montauk Branch was relocated to northeast of Springfield Junction. The tracks were elevated from ground-level from the 1950's through the 1970's. The last station to be elevated on the branch was Massapequa Park on December 13, 1980.[3]

==[edit] Stations==