LIRR's Jamaica Station Marks 100th Anniversary
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A train station graced by 150,000 commuters every day marks its 100th birthday.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials and others were on hand as the Long Island Rail Road's Jamaica Station, one of the nation's busiest transportation hubs, celebrated a century in operation.
As WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported, it took eight years to build the station's five platforms.
LIRR's Jamaica Station Marks 100th Anniversary
"We here today still marvel at what was accomplished 100 years ago," LIRR President Helena Williams said.
The student wind ensemble from Oyster Bay High School also took part, performing "Change at Jamaica," the 10-minute instrumental piece by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec of Adelphi University.
Historian David Morrison said the song title reflects what's become routine for so many and has made the modern commute from Long Island possible.
"Even though they got to change at Jamaica, the trains move on time and safely," Morrison told Silverman. "That was a massive undertaking which improved the operation of the railroad greatly."
Officials also held an official ribbon cutting for the restored Long Island Rail Road Jamaica Station Building at Archer Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard.
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