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Another thing to keep in mind for commuters is train service. Just because you are on an electrified branch or a trunk line does not mean your station will see good service.
For instance, here at the Westbury station, only 41% of peak rush hour trains stop here, you only have about 10 or 11 trains for each rush hour. Off peak and weekends is only about 50% of trains that stop here, its roughly only hourly service. Compared to your typical Babylon branch station (say Bellmore), which sees just over half the rush hour trains stop at their station, and 75% or more off peak trains stop there.
This chart I made reflects what I studied on the schedules.
As you can see Westbury's train service, both in the rush and off peak, is not great when compared to most Babylon line stations, or Hicksville or Mineola. The Main Line also has grade crossings that can cause delays (train/vehicle strikes), and has to deal with trains from 3 branches converging on it (Port Jeff/Hunt, Ronk, and Oyster Bay as well as some Montauk trains too).
Its one of the reasons I advise future homeowners or renters, esp those who need to commute to NYC to avoid Westbury. It's one of the myraid of reasons why so many condos are vacant here, for the prices they ask, it's ridiculous. Also I like the Babylon station layout of an island platform, Westbury is a PITA if you are traveling east because you have to go up the stairs to the w/b platform for a ticket machine.
The parking lot isn't big either, the Babylon branch stations offer much more parking.
Bad schools, mediocre train service, illegal housing, vagrancy...just one of the many reasons I advise future LI'ers to look elsewhere. Its not Hempstead bad, but there's many better places to live.
One of the many reasons I want to leave. Nothing more annoying than having to wait an hour because you missed your train!
If you're looking to move to Nassau, especially if you work in the city, and cant afford Great Neck, Garden City or Port, and want someplace safe, you cant go wrong with Massapequa, Seaford, Wantagh, Bellmore, Merrick & vicinity. Just avoid south of Merrick Rd because some areas there could flood in Hurricanes.
I'm sure the folks who run Westbury dont like these posts, well, clean up your town, fix the schools, & lobby the LIRR to have more trains stop here!
Another thing to keep in mind for commuters is train service. Just because you are on an electrified branch or a trunk line does not mean your station will see good service.
For instance, here at the Westbury station, only 41% of peak rush hour trains stop here, you only have about 10 or 11 trains for each rush hour. Off peak and weekends is only about 50% of trains that stop here, its roughly only hourly service. Compared to your typical Babylon branch station (say Bellmore), which sees just over half the rush hour trains stop at their station, and 75% or more off peak trains stop there.
This chart I made reflects what I studied on the schedules.
As you can see Westbury's train service, both in the rush and off peak, is not great when compared to most Babylon line stations, or Hicksville or Mineola. The Main Line also has grade crossings that can cause delays (train/vehicle strikes), and has to deal with trains from 3 branches converging on it (Port Jeff/Hunt, Ronk, and Oyster Bay as well as some Montauk trains too).
Its one of the reasons I advise future homeowners or renters, esp those who need to commute to NYC to avoid Westbury. It's one of the myraid of reasons why so many condos are vacant here, for the prices they ask, it's ridiculous. Also I like the Babylon station layout of an island platform, Westbury is a PITA if you are traveling east because you have to go up the stairs to the w/b platform for a ticket machine.
The parking lot isn't big either, the Babylon branch stations offer much more parking.
Bad schools, mediocre train service, illegal housing, vagrancy...just one of the many reasons I advise future LI'ers to look elsewhere. Its not Hempstead bad, but there's many better places to live.
One of the many reasons I want to leave. Nothing more annoying than having to wait an hour because you missed your train!
If you're looking to move to Nassau, especially if you work in the city, and cant afford Great Neck, Garden City or Port, and want someplace safe, you cant go wrong with Massapequa, Seaford, Wantagh, Bellmore, Merrick & vicinity. Just avoid south of Merrick Rd because some areas there could flood in Hurricanes.
I'm sure the folks who run Westbury dont like these posts, well, clean up your town, fix the schools, & lobby the LIRR to have more trains stop here!
Just because Westbury sits on the main line tracks doesn't mean every train is going to stop there. First, officially Westbury is considered a Huntington/PJ line branch station so typically only those trains will stop there. If every train made every stop from every line that went thru there it would be so jammed up and so slow that eastern travelers would never get to/from their destinations.
Location: Prince Georges County, MD (formerly Long Island, NY)
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Basically what agw said-- Westbury has a lower ridership, so it makes sense for the Ronkonkoma trains to skip the station. As far as I know, Westbury still gets hourly off-peak service during the day, which is par for the course on most LIRR stations.
Ha, I actually go to Westbury for more frequent service, are you commuting during "conventional" hours? This rant is just WAY off.
There is a 7.35am that stops in Westbury, then Carle Place THEN Penn- No stopping in Jamaica or Woodside. Arriving at Penn at 8.17. If you miss that train, there's one at 7.42, then 8.12 and 8.27. Let's say you want to go to Atlantic Terminal, well Westbury, you're in luck! 7.42am from Westbury SKIPS Carle Place but stops at Mineola, Merillon.....arriving Atlantic Terminal at 8.25am.
Going home, is perhaps the GREATEST train of all time. The 5.29pm from Atlantic Terminal- FIRST STOP is WESTBURY!! Yes, my little Carle Place (along with Mineola and Jamaica) get skipped! You would arrive in Westbury by 6.05. This is my go to train if there are ever problems at Jamaica or Penn. Let's say I want to get home from Penn, there's a 5.17, 5.33, 6.01, 6.08, 6.35.....lots of options.
In short, you can carry on Westbury bashing but facts are facts. During standard commuting hours, Westbury is great.
Ive never had issues leaving from Carle Place or Westbury. A few (4) years back, I had an evening job in Carle pLace, I would take the LIRR from there in the AM, then it was easy travels to job number 2 in the evening.
Well compared to the Babylon Branch service isn't great. Also while Huntington branch stations east of Hicksville (Syosset, CSH,etc) get half hourly service on weekends, Westbury gets only once an hour. Westbury is busier than Carle Place, Merillon Ave, and New Hyde Park on weekends and needs more service, but trying to talk to the LIRR is an exercise in futility.
There's also a 40 minute gap on service in the AM rush between 5:50am & 6:30am. The trains are not evenly spaced like the Babylon branch, and there's very little reverse peak service due to "throating" (using both tracks for peak direction service). Sure it's "decent" for LIRR service, but there is better. Especially since I usually travel off-peak, hourly is a PITA. Babylon (and now Port Washington branches) get half hourly service. Huntington has half hourly service too, but not all those trains stop in Westbury & thats the problem. Well I shouldn't waste my breath as I want to move out of Wastebury anyway.
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