Far Rockaway Branch

Far Rockaway Branch
Far Rockaway Branch
	Far Rockaway Branch train 2820 departing Cedarhurst Station.
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Long Island Rail Road
Locale	Queens and Nassau County, New York, US
Termini	Valley Stream; Far Rockaway;
Stations	11
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Long Island Rail Road
Services	Far Rockaway Branch
Operator(s)	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Ridership	4,904,415 (annual ridership, 2023)
History
Opened	1869 (as part of South Side Railroad of Long Island)
Technical
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Third rail, 750 V DC
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	Main Line
	to Penn Station & Long Island City
	9.3 mi
	15 km
	12.2 mi
	19.6 km
	13.1 mi
	21.1 km
	Montauk Branch
	via St. Albans
	14.0 mi
	22.5 km
	Queens
	Nassau
	16.1 mi
	25.9 km
	16.2 mi
	0.0 mi
	0.8 mi
	1.3 km
	1.7 mi
	2.7 km
	2.3 mi
	3.7 km
	3.2 mi
	5.1 km
	4.0 mi
	6.4 km
	4.4 mi
	7.1 km
	Nassau
	Queens
	5.0 mi
	8 km
	Distances shown from Long Island City via the Lower Montauk Branch
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Far Rockaway Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station. From Valley Stream, the line heads south and southwest through southwestern Nassau County, ending at Far Rockaway in Queens, thus reentering^{[clarification needed]} New York City. LIRR maps and schedules indicate that the Far Rockaway Branch service continues west along the Atlantic Branch to Jamaica, ^[3]^[4] from where it can reach either Grand Central Madison or Penn Station, both in Midtown Manhattan.

^ "2023 ANNUAL RIDERSHIP REPORT". mta.info. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. VII. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
^ MTA LIRR - LIRR Map
^ LIRR Far Rockaway Branch Timetable