Belmont Park (LIRR station)
Encyclopedia
Belmont Park is a seasonal-use Long Island Rail Road
station on the grounds of the Belmont Park
racetrack in Elmont, New York
. The station is open and train service is operated only during the racing seasons of Belmont Park. The station is a terminus of a spur line that lies south of and between the Queens Village
and Bellerose
stations on the Main Line
/Hempstead Branch
. In consistency with the names of other lines and branches of the LIRR, the spur line is called the Belmont Park Branch.
Unlike the rest of the track, the Belmont Park train station is part of a small sliver of Belmont property (including some parking) that crosses into Queens County
. The racing complex is located in Nassau County
. Also, unlike the rest of the LIRR system, the Belmont Park station is the only low-platform station, with permanently fixed steps installed to allow passengers to exit LIRR cars designed for high platform use.
with a stop at Woodside
. Service for Belmont Park operates express to and from Jamaica
, where connections are available to City Terminal Zone
trains as well as service to other LIRR stations. The average daily ridership for the station was 100. However, budget cuts have eliminated regular service in 2010. However, full service (two trains daily) was restored for the spring/summer racing season in 2011 when the NYRA
joined in to restore service.
On the day of the Belmont Stakes
, a total of 18 trains depart from Pennsylvania Station to Belmont Park between 10 am and 4 pm. Returning trains begin departing Belmont Park at 4 pm and service is increased to departures at a frequency of every 15 minutes between 6:30 pm and 9 pm.
The New York & Atlantic Railway serves the park twice a week, delivering boxcars loaded with feed for the park's horses. The LIRR also stores its own gondolas, hoppers and flatcars used in work train service at the Belmont Park station.
; the present terminal north of Hempstead Turnpike was opened in 1957.
When the spring 2009 meet began on April 29, 2009, the MTA halted daily service to Belmont Park station due to insufficient funding in the MTA's budget. The New York Racing Association
provided shuttle bus service from the Queens Village station
to Belmont Park; the N6, Q2 and Q110 also offered alternate service. On May 28, 2009, Belmont Park service resumed per the MTA board's approval as the New York State legislature passed a funding plan for the MTA. This was the only service reduction enacted as part of the MTA's 2009 "doomsday" budget.
However, regular service to Belmont Park was suspended again in 2010 due to MTA budget cuts and trains only operated on June 4 and 5 during the weekend of the Belmont Stakes. On other racing days, the New York Racing Association provided shuttle bus service between the racetrack and the Queens Village station. On April 26, 2011 the NYRA announced that it would subsidize the cost of providing LIRR service to the racetrack for the entire spring/summer meet.
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
station on the grounds of the Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
racetrack in Elmont, New York
Elmont, New York
Elmont is an unincorporated census-designated place located in the northwest corner of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City...
. The station is open and train service is operated only during the racing seasons of Belmont Park. The station is a terminus of a spur line that lies south of and between the Queens Village
Queens Village (LIRR station)
Queens Village is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road, located between 218th Street and Springfield Boulevard in Queens Village, Queens, New York City. It has two side platforms along the four-track line, and only serves Hempstead Branch trains. The two-story station house is...
and Bellerose
Bellerose (LIRR station)
Bellerose is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road ; only trains to/from the Hempstead Branch stop. The station is at Commonwealth Boulevard and Superior Road, south of Jericho Turnpike, in Bellerose, New York, and has a full-service ticket machine on the north side of the...
stations on the Main Line
Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)
The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins in Long Island City and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles to Greenport...
/Hempstead Branch
Hempstead Branch
The Hempstead 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 the Main Line at Queens Interlocking, just east of Queens Village station...
. In consistency with the names of other lines and branches of the LIRR, the spur line is called the Belmont Park Branch.
Unlike the rest of the track, the Belmont Park train station is part of a small sliver of Belmont property (including some parking) that crosses into Queens County
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. The racing complex is located in Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
. Also, unlike the rest of the LIRR system, the Belmont Park station is the only low-platform station, with permanently fixed steps installed to allow passengers to exit LIRR cars designed for high platform use.
Service
On racing days, the Long Island Rail Road operates two trains to and from Belmont Park. One train originates and terminates at Pennsylvania StationPennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
with a stop at Woodside
Woodside (LIRR station)
Woodside is a railroad station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. It is the first station passed by eastward trains from Pennsylvania Station, and it is the only Queens station that serves both the Port Washington Branch and the other LIRR branches that...
. Service for Belmont Park operates express to and from Jamaica
Jamaica (LIRR station)
Jamaica is a major hub station of the Long Island Rail Road, and is located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It is the largest transit hub on Long Island and is one of the busiest railroad stations in the country with over 200,000 daily passengers...
, where connections are available to City Terminal Zone
City Terminal Zone
The City Terminal Zone is the name given to a collection of rail lines of the Long Island Rail Road in New York City. Specifically, it refers to all stations that lie in fare zone 1 , which is the set of stations west of Jamaica.-Stations:- Routes : There are three routes that are considered part...
trains as well as service to other LIRR stations. The average daily ridership for the station was 100. However, budget cuts have eliminated regular service in 2010. However, full service (two trains daily) was restored for the spring/summer racing season in 2011 when the NYRA
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
joined in to restore service.
On the day of the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
, a total of 18 trains depart from Pennsylvania Station to Belmont Park between 10 am and 4 pm. Returning trains begin departing Belmont Park at 4 pm and service is increased to departures at a frequency of every 15 minutes between 6:30 pm and 9 pm.
The New York & Atlantic Railway serves the park twice a week, delivering boxcars loaded with feed for the park's horses. The LIRR also stores its own gondolas, hoppers and flatcars used in work train service at the Belmont Park station.
History
When Belmont Park opened on May 4, 1905, about 19,000 passengers—nearly half of all attendees—took the railroad to the racetrack on opening day. The first electric trains to Belmont Park ran on October 2, 1905, the opening day of the fall meet. The original station was located south of Hempstead TurnpikeNew York State Route 24
New York State Route 24 is an east–west state highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. The route is split into two segments, with the longest and westernmost of the two extending from Interstate 295 and NY 25 in the Queens Village section of the New York City...
; the present terminal north of Hempstead Turnpike was opened in 1957.
When the spring 2009 meet began on April 29, 2009, the MTA halted daily service to Belmont Park station due to insufficient funding in the MTA's budget. The New York Racing Association
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
provided shuttle bus service from the Queens Village station
Queens Village (LIRR station)
Queens Village is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road, located between 218th Street and Springfield Boulevard in Queens Village, Queens, New York City. It has two side platforms along the four-track line, and only serves Hempstead Branch trains. The two-story station house is...
to Belmont Park; the N6, Q2 and Q110 also offered alternate service. On May 28, 2009, Belmont Park service resumed per the MTA board's approval as the New York State legislature passed a funding plan for the MTA. This was the only service reduction enacted as part of the MTA's 2009 "doomsday" budget.
However, regular service to Belmont Park was suspended again in 2010 due to MTA budget cuts and trains only operated on June 4 and 5 during the weekend of the Belmont Stakes. On other racing days, the New York Racing Association provided shuttle bus service between the racetrack and the Queens Village station. On April 26, 2011 the NYRA announced that it would subsidize the cost of providing LIRR service to the racetrack for the entire spring/summer meet.