Rockaway Beach Branch, former Long Island Rail Road branch (closed 1962)
The Rockaway Beach Branch is a decommissioned railway line in Queens that stretches for several miles through residential neighborhoods. It originally connected Rego Park to Rockaway Park, crossing Jamaica Bay on a wooden bridge and serving as a direct route to the beaches south of the city.
The line opened in 1880 as the New York, Woodhaven and Rockaway Railroad to cut travel time to the beaches to 30 minutes. Following financial troubles in the 1880s and several ownership changes, it became part of the Long Island Rail Road in 1904 and was electrified in 1905. A fire damaged the Jamaica Bay bridge in 1950, leading to the city's purchase in 1952 and the gradual cessation of service by 1962.
The line once served as a lifeline for Queens residents traveling to Rockaway Beach for summer outings and weekend escapes from the city heat. Today, local communities see the abandoned corridor as part of their neighborhood's identity, with many hoping to preserve its memory through a planned park or restored transit service.
You can walk along sections of the abandoned line to see the remnants of old rails, electrical towers, and bridge structures scattered throughout the route. Access is straightforward since the corridor runs through residential neighborhoods with multiple entry points along its path.
The site has become a draw for photographers and urban explorers intrigued by rusty rails, nature reclaiming metal structures, and the occasional mysterious artifact left behind, such as a discarded cleaver. These scattered remnants and forgotten objects tell a story of decades of decay and nature's quiet reclamation amid the urban landscape.
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