Ronkonkoma Branch

Ronkonkoma Branch (Greenport Branch)
A Penn Station-bound train leaves Deer Park.
Overview
Type	Commuter rail
System	Long Island Rail Road
Status	Operational
Locale	Nassau and Suffolk County, New York, USA
Termini	Greenport Ronkonkoma Farmingdale (Occasional weekdays only; East ends) Penn Station (West end)
Stations	15
Services	Ronkonkoma Branch   Greenport Branch   Montauk Branch (Central Branch)
Operation
Opened	1837-1844
Owner	Long Island Rail Road
Operator(s)	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Rolling stock	Budd M3, Bombardier M7 (West of Ronkonkoma) Kawasaki C3, DE30AC (East of Ronkonkoma)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	750 V (DC) Third rail (west of Ronkonkoma)

The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, the "Ronkonkoma Branch" includes trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksville (where the Port Jefferson Branch leaves the Main Line) to Ronkonkoma, and between Ronkonkoma and the Main Line's eastern's terminus at Greenport. The section of the Main Line east of Ronkonkoma is not electrified and is referred to as the Greenport Branch.

The western segment between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma sees 24-hour service to Penn Station in New York City. The eastern segment between Ronkonkoma and Greenport is served by diesel-electric trains, and sees much less service. Weekday service consists of only a handful of trips per day, while weekend service operates only during summer and fall. This segment is also notable for being one of the few dark territory areas of the Long Island Rail Road that does not have signals.

The western segment of the line from Hicksville to Ronkonkoma was electrified in 1987, eliminating diesel service between Ronkonkoma and Hicksville and creating a one-seat ride to Penn Station. Average rush-hour trip time from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station decreased from 97 minutes pre-electrification (including the mandatory transfer from a diesel to an electric train) to 71 minutes afterwards. The $168.5 million project attracted many new passengers: A survey of peak-hour Ronkonkoma Branch passengers conducted by the LIRR in April 1988 found that 42 percent of the branch's passengers were new to the line: 34 percent switched from other lines (the Port Jefferson and Montauk Branches), 6 percent were new to the LIRR as a whole and 2 percent recently returned to the LIRR. By September 1988, over 2,000 new riders during the morning rush hour had switched to the Ronkonkoma branch, much of which occurred in the first month after electrification, faster than the LIRR expected. Commuters complained that the expanded parking facilities at Ronkonkoma built in anticipation of electrification were overcrowded and already inadequate, and that double-parking and vandalism were rampant. In the decades since, the amount of parking at Ronkonkoma has expanded. In the present, diesel locomotives continue to provide all service between Ronkonkoma and Greenport. As electrification occurred in the 1980s, the MTA also planned to double-track the line between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, however, this was deferred due to lack of funds.