Jamaica Station, a major hub of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) located in Jamaica, Queens County, New York, is one of the busiest transit hubs in the New York City area, behind Pennsylvania Station, Grand Central Terminal, and Secaucus Junction, with over 1,000 trains passing through it every day. The LIRR Jamaica Station serves thousands of passengers per day and is the largest transit hub on Long Island as well as the third busiest railroad hub in New York City. All LIRR branches and lines except for the Port Washington Branch pass through Jamaica Station and share the same track West of the hub in what is called the City Terminal Zone (The Flatbush Avenue terminal in Brooklyn is another terminus of the LIRR in the City Terminal Zone where some some New York-bound trains end). East of Jamaica, they digress and are routed along one of the Main Line branches. The main entrance to the station, where tickets may be purchased and where waiting areas may be found, is a 100 year old building that still stands (pictured above), which used to serve as the headquarters of the Long Island Rail Road company prior to its takeover by the MTA. Passengers and MTA Employees usually refer to the hub simply as "Jamaica".

In 2001, The MTA started major renovations to Jamaica Station (which are still in progress and are scheduled for completion in 2006) to vastly expand the station and connect it with the adjacent AirTrain (JFK) terminus at Jamaica. The renovations will make Jamaica Station more modern and efficient and will provide easier access to all eight LIRR tracks at the station. Additionally, the new renovations will provide passengers on the New York City Subway lines of the J, Z and E (Sutphin Blvd-JFK station) with an easier link to the LIRR and will also provide commuters from Long Island a convenient transfer point to John F. Kennedy International Airport via the AirTrain. The State of New York has spent considerable money developing this area, partly in an attempt to revitalize the neighborhood of Jamaica.

External links

• MTA Long Island Rail Road
• AirTrain JFK