Little Neck is a LIRR station located in the rather quiet Queens neigborhood bearing the same name. Located on the Port Washington Line, this station is a little unusual vs. all the others. Let’s look at it.
First off, I have to give a shoutout to the ride out here. Beautiful ride, especially as the line curves around Little Neck Bay. As for the station itself, the station consists of two high-level platforms that are approximately 10 cars long. Rather unusually, the station is also located at a grade crossing, and one with extra protection at that (quad-gated!). Why? Well, my guess is that the neighbors complained enough to get the LIRR to get permission to protect the crossing enough and put up “NO TRAIN HORN” signage. The station house is nice, and was open when I was here (at around 11am on a weekday), however the HVAC was out of service. Not pleasant when it’s 100 degrees outside! As for outside, the inbound platform has a decent amount of shade. Outbound? Not so much. There’s also a pedestrian bridge that isn’t accessible. As for the amenities, you have your usual LIRR affair (shelter, ticket machines, benches, departure boards, etc.). There’s also a bus connection at 40th Avenue, being the Q36 to Jamaica via Bellerose and Hillside Avenue. That runs every 30 minutes or so on weekdays. Overall though, not a bad station.
The good: It exists, and serves the local neighborhood and eastern Queens (which is surprisingly rather car-centric!). It’s also accessible and has an open station house, and even a bus connection.
The bad: The damn gates (do NOT try beating the gates!). Also, the pedestrian bridge being inaccessible is a tad annoying.
Nearby points of interest: By and large, housing. I guess there’s a water treatment plant nearby too? The main commercial strip is Northern Boulevard, which is a bit of a hike away.
Transit connections:
LIRR (Port Washington)
MTA bus (Q36)
Overall, it’s not a bad station. It’s a bit unusual, but not in a bad way. Also, shoutout to the video Sammymarrco made of this place. Strongly suggest giving it a watch.
Rating: 8/10
