Bellerose
The Floral Park Station is located on portion of the LIRR Main Line that is located on a concrete viaduct just before the Hempstead Branch splits off from the main line. The spilt is readily visible to the west of the station's platforms and before the third track project was finished in 2022all switching between the lines had to be done before trains reach this station. Today, the station still has just 4 tracks and the southernmost track only provides access to the Hempstead Branch, but the normal New York-bound track from Hempstead now switches directly onto the new southern track of the Third Main Line track project that triple-tracked the formerly just double-tracked project to Hicksville, where the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Branches diverge.
The stop has an odd platform layout of two side platforms for the outer tracks (One is C to Hempstead, one is A-Limited Service to New York see schedule, and the main platform, a decently wide island platform shared by the track to New York from the Hempstead branch and the track for other points east) meaning all tracks platform. This does not mean the station has frequent service, although hourly is typical with more during the peak hours. As of the January 2011 schedule the standard off-peak and weekend service is hourly consisting of trains running from Hempstead to Atlantic Terminal. In terms of service to other branches (that use the non-Hempstead Branch platforms) it is only provided during the AM peak with a single train to New York from Platform A at 7:38AM, and three stopping at platform B on their way to points east at 5:26, 6:21, and 8:34AM. Unless your destination is Hempstead don't plan to catch a train to points east from here. This changed in February 2023 with the start of East Side Access, with the station now receiving service off-peak from two trains per hour in both directions with Hempstead Branch Trains (now to/from Grand Central) stopping at the station along with new off-peak hourly Port Jefferson Branch Trains to and from Penn Station also stopping at the station. As of May 2024, there is also one reverse-peak Ronkonkoma Branch trip that stops at the station during weekdays in each direction.
Platform amenities differ depending upon if a passenger is on the side platforms or the island platform. On the outer side platforms the only canopies are green above the staircases up to them and small canopied areas with bare brick windscreens where the staircases reach the platforms. Otherwise it is just a small fence preventing people from falling down to the street. On the main island platform it's canopied near each of its staircases with some not canopied portions. In the middle of the platform is a small brick station building that is a secondary waiting area and smells absolutely disgusting, towards the eastern end there is a strange ancient freight elevator looking contraption still with buttons on it for operation.
There is a parking area under most of the station. Starting from the eastern end of the station is where Tulip Avenue crosses beneath the tracks. Here are two staircases up from either side of the street to the middle platform, and platform C, with only one up (from the western sidewalk) to seldom used platform A. Continuing down towards the middle of the station we reach the main station house and waiting room beneath the tracks that was open in 2011 from 6AM-2PM weekdays - although when I visited in 2023 it was open. This station house has a silver closed window where the ticket office was. When I visited in 2011, inside of it is some benches and also a small and very unofficial looking business that sells coffee and other breakfast items from some folding tables with tablecloths and a locked beverage cooler. This wasn't there on my 2023 visit.
Outside the ticket office is the stations only two TVMs. Access to the platforms from here is via a staircase/narrow up escalator to the middle platform, and single staircases to the outside platforms, there is also a Bank of America ATM on the north side beneath the station and 1960s Floral Park Long Island Rail Road Text on the side of the concrete viaduct. Continuing down the platforms to their western end are another two staircases to the middle and platform C, and one only from the east side of the underpass of Camation Avenue.
The station became ADA accessible on June 16, 2021. Three new elevators were built at a small (by MTA standards) cost of $10 million with up to each platform just outside the tucked under the concrete viaduct station house. These elevators are modern glass elevators (particularly the two up to the side platforms) inside silver enclosures. The rest of the station wasn't renovated so the elevators feel a bit out of place on the decaying platform that still just has a wide yellow line, uneven platform edge and not a proper tactile warning strip for the platform edge. Photos 1-40: January 5, 2011; 41-105: November 25, 2023;
