The LIRR is one of the few railroads that has survived as an intact company from its original charter to the present. During excavation and building, the original Downtown Hudson Tubes remained in service as elevated tunnels. The electrified Atlantic Branch runs from Atlantic Terminal in Downtown Brooklyn east to Jamaica, where it meets the main Line and the Montauk Branch, after which heads southeast to change into the Lengthy Seaside Branch east of Valley Stream. The electrified Far Rockaway Branch splits from the Atlantic Branch east of the Valley Stream station and runs south and southwest to Far Rockaway. For scheduling and advertising functions some of these branches are divided into sections; that is the case with the Montauk Department, which is known as the Babylon Department service within the electrified portion of the line between Jamaica and Babylon, whereas the diesel service past Babylon to Montauk is referred to as Montauk Branch service. More capital enchancment projects came about throughout the late nineties. In 1998, the railroad started to substitute its aging diesel and parlor automobile fleet, which dated from the 1940s and 1950s, by purchasing new bi-level coaches.

In 1900, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) bought a controlling interest as a part of its plan for direct access to Manhattan which began on September 8, 1910. The wealthy PRR subsidized the LIRR during the primary half of the new century, allowing expansion and modernization. A congestion pricing scheme was proposed in 2007 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a element of PlaNYC, his strategic plan for the town. Cuomo's plan is predicted to differ considerably from Bloomberg's proposal. The portion of the line between Lengthy Island Metropolis and Jamaica, known as the Lower Montauk Department, no longer carries passenger trains and is used just for freight service. The railroad's Passenger Department, led by Hal B. Fullerton, issued numerous publications touting the virtues of life on Long Island as compared with metropolis life. Hemel Hempstead: Mannequin and Allied Publications. Trains operating east of Babylon are listed as Montauk Department service and are hauled by diesel locomotives, whereas trains utilizing the line from Jamaica to Babylon are labeled as Babylon Department trains. It's electrified from Jamaica east to Babylon. The Oyster Bay Department splits from the primary Line east of Mineola and heads north and east to Oyster Bay. The diesel-solely Central Branch runs southeast from the main Line east of Bethpage to the Montauk Branch west of the Babylon station, giving an alternate route to the Montauk Branch east of Babylon.

The Central Department used to continue west from Bethpage to include what's now the Backyard Metropolis-Mitchel Subject Secondary. At Backyard Metropolis, the Backyard City-Mitchel Discipline Secondary curves off and goes to Mitchel Field. Rush-hour trains run to one among two stations in Long Island Metropolis, Queens: Hunterspoint Avenue or Lengthy Island City on the East River. With the opening of East Side Access, service between Atlantic Terminal and Jamaica is expected to turn into a shuttle. The Montauk Branch runs from Long Island City east to the Montauk station, with junctions with the principle Line at Lengthy Island Metropolis and Jamaica. Montauk Branch, running alongside the southern edge of the island, between Lengthy Island Metropolis and Montauk, via Jamaica. It used to attach westward to what is now the brand new York City Subway's IND Rockaway Line to the Hammels and Rockaway Park neighborhoods of Queens. The electrified Hempstead Branch splits from the principle Line east of Queens Village (operating parallel to the principle Line until just after Floral Park) and runs east to Hempstead. The Bushwick Branch, affordable limo also known as the Bushwick Lead Track, is a freight railroad department that runs from Bushwick, Brooklyn, to Contemporary Pond Junction in Queens, the place it connects with the Montauk Department.

It additionally connects LIRR with Amtrak and NJ Transit trains. Long Island Metropolis station also connects to the NYC Ferry's East River Ferry to Midtown or Decrease Manhattan. Provision was made for this route on the decrease level of the 63rd Road Tunnel under the East River, which carries the brand new York City Subway's IND 63rd Avenue Line (F and trains) on its upper stage. The electrified Port Washington Department, the only one that doesn't serve Jamaica, branches from the principle Line west of Woodside (working parallel to the main Line until Winfield Junction, which is east of that station) and runs east to Port Washington. The East Facet Entry undertaking will reduce congestion while increasing the variety of trains during peak hours. It's next to the brand new York Metropolis Subway's Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Middle station complicated (2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q, R and W trains), providing easy access to Lower Manhattan. Town Terminal Zone includes parts of the primary Line, Atlantic, and Montauk Branches, as nicely as the Amtrak-owned East River Tunnels to Penn Station. A lease that includes scheduled increases in rent over a specified period of time. It is electrified west of the Ronkonkoma station; limited diesel prepare service runs from this level to the Yaphank, Riverhead, or Greenport stations.