DIVIDE Interlocking tower, located just east of the station
Hicksville station's first depot opened on March 1, 1837, and it served as the temporary terminus of the LIRR.[3] Both the station and the eponymous hamlet were established by Valentine Hicks – the son of an abolitionist preacher who also briefly served as President of the LIRR.[3]
In 1841, the Main Line was extended east from Hicksville to Farmingdale, after a delay caused by the depression that had begun with the Panic of 1837.[3]
In 1854, the station gained a line known as the Hicksville and Syosset Railroad that later became the Port Jefferson Branch of the LIRR.[3] Ten years later, on July 15, 1864, Hicksville's first depot burned down. A second depot opened in September 1873, and was moved to a private location in 1909. The third depot opened on October 30, 1909, and was razed in November 1962 as the current elevated structure was being built.[3][4][5] The elevated station opened on September 12, 1964.[3][5][6]
In 1965, an eagle sculpture from the original Penn Station, which had recently been demolished, was moved to the Hicksville station. The sculpture was subsequently installed in the station's parking lot, where it remains standing today.[3][7]
In October 1970, the tracks on the Main Line were electrified by the from Mineola to Hicksville, and up the Port Jefferson Branch as far east as Huntington.[8] With the electrification came the introduction of electric train service to the Hicksville station and direct service to Penn Station, thus eliminating the need for Hicksville customers to change trains at Jamaica.[8] The first electric train to serve the Hicksville station ran on October 19th of that year.[8]
On October 30, 1979, the MTA took over control of the station's escalators from the Hicksville Escalator District – a special district responsible for maintaining and paying for the escalators at the station; the controversial district was dissolved upon this transfer of ownership.[9]
The station underwent a full renovation beginning in early 2014.[10] The $121 million renovation included replacing station platforms, escalators, elevators, waiting rooms, canopies, and lighting. Security cameras were also added during the renovation.[10] Construction was estimated to last through 2017, and was expected to be completed by August 2018.[10][11][12] Platform A was the first platform to be rebuilt, reopening in September 2017.[13] The electrical substation at Hicksville station will be replaced as part of the Main Line third track project.[14] The rehabilitation project was officially completed in September 2018.
Station layout
Generally, Platform A serves westbound trains and Platform B serves eastbound trains. Track 2 operates with the flow of rush hour, handling westbound trains in the morning and eastbound trains in the evening, though some westbound trains will use Platform B. Most Montauk Branch trains pass through the station without stopping. East of the station, the Port Jefferson Branch splits from the Main Line at DIVIDE Interlocking.
