Close Menu
    South of France

    Long Island Railroad M7 – From Manhattan to the Queens in 20 minutes



    Howdy!

    Welcome to this new video where I will travel between Penn Station (🤢) and Jamaica in the Queens with the Long Island Railroad and their workhorse, the M7… Also, I will give you a quick tip on how to get to JKF using LIRR !

    Enjoy 🙂

    – TRIP INFORMATION –
    RECORDED IN DECEMBER 2020
    Railroad company: Long Island Railroad (LIRR)
    Train type: M7
    From: New York Penn Station to Jamaica Station
    Time: 20
    Price: $10,75 – 9,79€

    Massive thanks to @JBtrainman for the thumbnail picture. Link to his channel : https://www.youtube.com/user/JBtrainman

    LINK TO THE NEW CHANNEL : Minitrak by Simply Railway https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgV2ympxK8JW2xLWZEPD5ZA/videos?app=desktop&view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

    – PATREON PAGE : https://www.patreon.com/simply_railway
    – INSTAGRAM – https://www.instagram.com/simply_railway
    – TWITTER – https://twitter.com/simply_railway?la…
    – SIMPLY RAILWAY PRODUCTS : https://teespring.com/stores/simply-railway

    LINK FOR MY BOOK ABOUT NIGHT TRAINS!

    – BOOK IN 🇫🇷 : https://www.fnac.com/a16082670/THIBAULT-CONSTANT-Trains-de-nuit?oref=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&Origin=SEA_GOOGLE_PLA_BOOKS&esl-k=sem-google%7cnu%7cc587517594861%7cm%7ck1718683007468%7cp%7ct%7cdc%7ca134207337093%7cg16562167840&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuLShBhC_ARIsAFod4fJqFaekQbWogEvwg-SjDqcyqLOLu845h6_Oe49vOagql8n-izwCF-kaAj5AEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

    – BOOK IN 🇩🇪 : https://www.dorlingkindersley.de/buch/thibault-constant-petra-sparrer-mit-dem-nachtzug-durch-europa-9783734206634

    Massive thanks to my following Patreon for their help :
    Claudio Bickel ; Martin Haynes ; D Austin Horowitz ; Thomas Alfred Roell ; Captain Ginyu ; Andreas Konrad ; Christopher Style ; Dick DeBartolo ; Nicholas Torres ; Nick Reed ; Philippe Branco ; Tom Van Baren ; Ian Earle ; Robin Roemisch ; Michael Romero ; Fin Ross Russell ; Frederic R Merchant ; RAH ; Robyn Jackson ; William George ; John Michael Dornoff ; Trevor Key ; Fabricio ; Linda Vainomae-Hoffmann ; Jeffrey Williams ; Shane Edmonds ; Dave Ferrell ; Bea Dan ; clearingrubble ; Charlie Myers ; Bill ; jpjh ; David Bonet ; Eric Schmidt ; John S Baldyga ; Will Ho ; Sam Couch ; Dennis Field ; Raging_lemons ; Daniel De Marta ; Shawn Morse ; Benny Wong ; Jason Rabinowitz ; Szeming Lau ; Peter ; Dining Car ; Robert Badgett ; Paul Hurst ; Leonard McCants ; Garl Boyd Latham ; TravelBlogger.com ; Jaymar7456 ; Nick Russo ; RJ B ; Parigino 48 ; Magikarp ; James O’Donnell ; Danny Anderson ; Marc van der Lee ; Pierre Bourry ; Mark Schutter ; Jennifer M Zukawski ; Pierre Chevalier ; Caracole ; Tommy Penner ; ursus arctos ; Joe Grubbs ; Matthew Edwards ; Peter Harrison ; Arthur Sievers ; Geogast ; Mind K ; Warren Avis ; Jun Plas ; Per Ove Persson ; Robert Mersereau ; Manuel Sauleda ; Christian Emde ; Nicole ; Bart Nadeau ; Michèle ; Rick ; Mary Ann Bernard ; Surina Brewer ; Patrick J Knapp Jr ; Tom Barton ; George Dover ; Cornelis Kater ; Louis P Sauve ; Kraisorn Sapp ; Lois Johnson ; Raymond Dubois ; Stephen Repetski ; Adam Wickens & Hazel Smith ; David Novak ; Dirk Schultz ; Peter Kelly ; Roy. Parker ; William E Gray ; Tom Graham ; Matias ; The Foxyb ; Killergen ; Fernão Gondin ; Dennis Mabrey ; Mr Maurice ; Ben Owen ;
    Michael S Wilhelm ; David Hoyt ; Terry Patterson ; Spencer Brownlee ; m kirby ; Stephane Thienel ; Virginie ; Manuel Guedes-Vieira ; Mats ; Allan Waldron ; Michael Joost ; Edwin Coates ; Hugh Johnson ; Gregoire P ; Severin Durand

    00:00 : Intro
    01:30 : Penn Station
    03:14 : Air Train and ticket struggle
    04:47 : Boarding
    05:06 : Departure from New York
    05:32 : Sunnyside
    05:58 : Seat check
    06:15 : Mid roll ads
    06:44 : Innit mate ?
    07:16 : Walkthrough
    07:52 : Screw the cab, go by train
    08:19 : Arrival in Jamaica
    08:41 : Jamaica action
    09:28 : Outro

    49 Comments

    3. Jonathan Gat on

      Interesting video. I would have never thought of this as a journey worth documenting, but I grew up here so I don't think of the local railways very much. The new section at Penn is really nice, it actually feels like a 'real' train station. You should definitely check out the new part of Grand Central….let us know what you think of the long escalators! I've used AirTrain when I don't have much luggage. It is certainly right for the money and if you can use the Subway it's even cheaper.

    4. GojiMet86 on

      Bro, I hate it when the TVM (Ticket Vending Machines) give you "no cards accepted" message, or the other one that drives me up the wall, "Only single-ride MetroCards". That's always been a problem, even before COVID or OMNY, and now that OMNY is picking up steam, the TVMs, the MetroCard readers on buses, and even the cards themselves are failing more. I've lost a couple of transfers on buses because of that.

    7. Centredoorplugs Thornton on

      If off peak fare is $7.75 and off peak fares were valid at all times, or so said the screen, how'd you end up with a $10.75 ticket? I'd have just gone to the ticket counter. Or was it closed?
      Classic change at Jamaica, where trains to from Penn Station, Brooklyn (subway to lower Manhattan) and Hunterspoint Ave/Long Island City line up across the platform to exchange passengers.

    8. William Merry on

      Loved this short video…I used to travel to NYC regularly and this video brings back many happy memories of using the MTA to get almost anywhere quickly. Not so nice now though.

    9. James Pernikoff on

      I used the LIRR at times when I lived up that way; at that time they were using the older M1 and M3 railcars; some of the latter are still used. Very efficient at getting people to NYC; not too useful if traveling between certain L.I. destinations. Jamaica is probably the busiest rail staion in the U.S.; Clapham Junction in London is the only one busier that I know of. All LIRR trains go thru Jamaica except the Port Washington branch, which departs the main line east of Woodside. Highway traffic on L.I. is bad, but it would be far worse without the LIRR!

    11. James Pernikoff on

      As pointed out elsewhere, the cheapest way to get from Manhattan to JFK is to take the subway to the Sutphin Blvd station which is directly under Jamaica, then take the AirTrain to JFK. But it takes considerably longer. The proposed AirTrain to La Guardia Airport has been scrapped, probably to be replaced eventually by an extension of the Astoria subway line.

    12. Chris Cebelenski on

      Language note – It's not "The Queens", it's just "Queens", or if you like "Queens County". Each village in Queens has it's own name, like "Flushing Meadows". Jamaica station is located in Queens Village.

    17. Annabel Smyth on

      As you were filming at the height of the pandemic (in the UK we were in such strict lockdown we could not celebrate Christmas with our families that year), it's probable that the " bathroom", as you call it, was locked out of use rather than occupied.

    19. Ranjan Guha on

      Love your videos ! They are amazing and let’s me focus on the content instead of being interrupted by the narration. Look forward to every new release. Thank you for all the trouble in creating them. Best wishes.

    21. Marty Lampner on

      As a former New Yorker and a regular rider of both the LIRR and National Rail in the UK, I think the similarities are due less to any commonality between the UK and LIRR system but the limited number of manufacturers. Siemens and Bombardier produce cars used in both nations. The similarity between the third rail systems may have much to do with the early adoption of electric traction, which appeared on both systems at roughly the same time. Another connection may be that the London Underground we know today came with the consolidation under Charles Yerkes an American who had seen London as a ripe opportunity and took many ideas from the states with him.

    26. Joe R M on

      Actually since you were traveling within the 5 boroughs, as long as it’s not peak time (rush hour) there’s the “City Ticket” for only $5.

    27. l1tn1ng b0t 85 on

      for off peak routes within NYC (not going into New Jersey, Long Island, or Upstate NY outside of the Bronx) on metro north or LIRR you can get a city ticket which is only $5 for anywhere in the city.

    32. Dave on

      I use to love taking this to work- took it for 15 years. Recently moved to NC. Reminds me of good old days!

    35. Modern Classic on

      I rode the LIRR for 12 years in the 2000's and 2010's. You were actually on the line I used to ride. I hope I never have to do it again. But I will say that you learn the little tricks when you do it every day, just little things to make it more livable (and cheaper). For one thing, I don't think I ever used an LIRR ticket machine after about 2008. If you're a regular rider, they would just mail you a monthly ticket and automatically charge your credit card. (I don't know what they do now; even that seems a little old fashioned, but it was better than buying a ticket at the machine.) I always disliked the M7's, though. I found them noisy and unstable; they sway quite a lot. The old Budd-built M3's were actually quieter and smoother. I am curious to try the new M8's but I doubt they're much different than the M7's.

    38. Christopher Mara on

      The 3rd rail system comes from the original 19th century NYC Elevated trains and the Subways of the early 20th century. Built at the same time as a lot of the London Underground (and the Boston Subway). That is probably why the connection.

    40. BB Pete on

      Thanks! There was a time in 2019 that I could have used this info to JFK but maybe another time I can. Is there a AirTrain from Jamaica Station to LaGuardia? If not, how do you get from LaGuardia to Manhattan other than by car (taxi or uber which I'm sure are too expensive).

    48. Avery the Cuban-American on

      Since you were just going to Jamaica off-peak, you could've purchased a CityTicket! CityTickets, as the name explains, is for journeys within NYC and costs just five bucks but it's only for off-peak hours (shown as an option at 4:20). And you accidentally purchased a peak ticket (as shown at the top at 4:21)! The reason both the LIRR and MNR use third rail is because when it was built the technology for DC third rail was more heavily used, and better understood. AC overhead lines were a newer technology. Plus third rail is cheaper to build, since it doesn’t require supports for the lines. LIRR was once owned by the Penn RR and they used third rail for the tunnels entering Manhattan. They wouldn't do catenary lines until the 1930s.

      The map you posted at 2:19 is super weird since it's not the official LIRR map that I'm used to as a LIRR rider. The lines except Port Washington and the Ronkonkoma Branch have a different color scheme than the official map, and this map implies Ronkonkoma trains go to Speonk when they don't. Some Montauk Branch trains (which on the map are supposed to be aqua) just use the Central Branch to connect to the Main Line instead of going along the Babylon Branch (which is supposed to be dark green). Also, it's not the Queens, just Queens! I think you're confusing it with The Bronx! The reason we call it The Bronx is because of the Bronx River! While Queens is named after the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, who was Queen of England in 1683.

    49. Kim Jong-un on

      How LIRR came to be: The LIRR was chartered back in 1834 to provide a daily service between New York and Boston via a ferry connection between its Greenport terminal on Long Island's North Fork and Stonington, CT. This service was superseded in 1849 by the land route through Connecticut that became part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The LIRR refocused its attentions towards serving Long Island. In the 1870s, railroad president Conrad Poppenhusen and his successor, Austin Corbin acquired all the railroads and consolidated them into the LIRR. Electric operation on the LIRR began in 1905.

      Most of the LIRR's branches are electrified except for Montauk (between Babylon and Montauk), Port Jeff (between Huntington and Port Jefferson), Oyster Bay (between East Williston and Oyster Bay), and Greenport (between Ronkonkoma and Greenport). For these non-electrified branches, as you briefly brought up, the LIRR currently uses DE30AC and DM30AC locomotives made by Electro-Motive Diesel which haul C3 bi-levels made by Kawasaki. Only the DM30ACs can enter Penn as they have the ability to use the third rail. But these will be replaced by Siemens Chargers.

    Leave A Reply