No. 83: Huntington Train Station

You can watch the ebb and flow of travelers at the Huntington train station over a cup of coffee while you wait for your train.

Most are commuters, some are tourists and others are families off for some sightseeing. Either way, they all contribute to making the Huntington station at the corner of Broadway and New York Avenue one of the Long Island Rail Road’s busiest.

If residents had their druthers, the station would have been downtown in the village when service started in 1868, according to research by Robert Hughes, town historian. But because of a dispute, it instead was built two miles outside the village. The station was moved to its current site in 1909 when some at-grade crossings were eliminated.

Today, it’s even a launching point for bike riders who want to head out east. Jesse Blumenstock drove up from the Philadelphia area with his dad, Jim, in the family car. He planned to ride his bike to Orient Point to get the ferry and continue on to his destination in Kennebunk, Maine, by Friday. His reward after all that pedaling? A day of hiking Saturday before his friend’s wedding on Sunday.

You can get a roll or bagel to go with that coffee before you board the train from a vending truck parked next to the two full-service ticket machines outside the station on its west side. Current timetables and schedules are inside the waiting area.

Jimmy Dee’s truck is there from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., through LIRR’s agreement with Forest & Brook Food Corp. in Hauppauge. “It’s busiest from 7 to 8:30 a.m.,” Dee said. “Coffee, rolls and water – those are the main things.” He also offers egg sandwiches, hot meals such as chicken and rice at noon, and snacks.

Travelers can grab a magazine at the small stand that sells coffee, cigarettes, magazines and drinks on the east side of the station. 

There are bicycle storage racks near the outside ticket machines, but if you want a parking spot right next to the station, where you pay daily by putting your money into a slot on the box at the front of the station, get there early – those spots go before 7 a.m.

Additional parking is available in the two garages and surface lots. Huntington and non-Huntington residents can buy parking permits for $50 in the town clerk’s office, with some restrictions for non-residents.

Riders can get out of the cold in the waiting room, which is open from 5 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. The inside ticket sales windows are open from 5 a.m. to 7:40 p.m. weekdays, and from 5:10 a.m. to 7:40 p.m. weekends, with some breaks. There’s also a handicapped-accessible restroom inside the station.

Stay tuned for No. 82 next week, same time same place, as Huntington Patch explores the places and activities in town.