Long island city, Vernon Jackson to LIRR transfer Options

[steve4031]

Mike and I will be arriving ewr about noon on Friday. After checking into out times square hotel and eating lunch, we are thinking about catching the 3:27 pm out of long island city to Jamaica and returning to nyp.

What is the transfer like? Is it well marked? What is the Long Island city station like?

[KevinKorell]

What is the transfer like? Is it well marked? What is the Long Island city station like?

Gee, those who made it to BARF 2007 or LIRF 2010 know the answers to those questions.

From the subway station, you walk south on Vernon until you can't go any further and you're looking at the LIRR yard in front of you. After crossing the last street (Borden Avenue), turn west towards the East River, walking along the left sidewalk of Borden. Across from the air shaft for the Queens Midtown Tunnel on your left will be the entrance to the "station". It's nothing more than a small bus shelter, with one working ticket machine, and (at least on the day we were there) a bottle of hand cleaner. What and where you do anything before using said hand cleaner is up to you. But there is no station building -- that was destroyed in a fire in December of 1902, so you're 108 years late.

As we found out in August 2010, there are two island platforms -- one visible from this shelter between Tracks 2 and 3, and another one probably hidden from view by trains, located between Tracks 6 and 7. Sounds like every man for himself; in other words ask somebody official-looking where your train will depart from because you won't find any amenities like Soliari Boards or LED monitors there.

[steve4031]

. . . Hope it's a nice day. Thanks