Trip on the Long Island Railroad

Photo Essay of a trip from work-to-home

Every day, at some point in the afternoon, I leave New York City, where I work, study, and toil, to finally go home with a multitude of others. Fellow LIRR veterans will recognise the beautiful artistic map of Long Island and the New York City area which greets you at the entrance.

Penn Station, the Long Island Railroad's primary stop in Manhattan, is always full of activity. People walk between, next to, and around the stubborn columns, eagerly awaiting the platform their train will arrive on-screen.

When the train arrives on the platform, it seems endless. What seems like millions of people board the long monstrosity, knowing it will take them where they need to go. For a few minutes, the train ride is exclusively in a tunnel. No light enters through the doors or windows. But eventually, the train exits the tunnel, symbolising to its passengers that the Long Island portion of their trip has begun.

People wait patiently in their seats, some working, others looking up their connections, and more simply relaxing after a long day.

Everyone who has taken the LIRR will recognise the stop called "Jamaica." Every train must go through Jamaica, no matter their destination. Wherever your trip begins or ends, the LIRR passenger ends up here. People of all backgrounds populate the platforms, reflecting the train line's customer base.

More than 12 train tracks flow through Jamaica, taking people from Long Beach to the Bronx, Montauk to Port Jefferson.

Some trains just go through Jamaica, they don't even stop.

As you go from Jamaica to the rest of Long Island, you get a synopsis of urbanisation. Skyscrapers become apartment buildings, apartment buildings become large townhouses, and large townhouses become parks and fields. By the time the train approaches Islip, passengers will see nothing but ponds, fields, and trees.

When we finally get home, friends and family greet us, ready to get our mind off the work we've done.