# Rosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center

The Rosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center is an intermodal center and transportation hub in Hempstead, New York. It contains the Nassau Inter-County Express bus system's indoor customer facility between Jackson and West Columbia Streets – as well as the terminus for the Hempstead Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, located right across West Columbia Street from the bus terminal.
Serving 17 routes, the bus terminal is a major transfer point for customers using a second Nassau Inter-County Express route or the LIRR. It offers a waiting area, transit information, MetroCard vending machines, a newsstand, and restrooms.

## History
### Rail terminal

The Hempstead Long Island Railroad station was originally built as a Central Railroad of Long Island depot sometime between October and December 1872, on the corner of Main Street and Fulton Avenue. When the Long Island Rail Road acquired the CRRLI in 1878, this Hempstead Station and terminus came with it, replacing the former 1839-built Hempstead Station, which ran along the original Hempstead Branch, and was located on Main Street and Centre Street.
The station was remodeled in July 1881, and razed in 1913. A second brick station was built in February 1913, which was designed to have trains terminate behind the building rather than alongside of it. This was due to an accident from January 1912 involving a milk train that rear-ended a stationary passenger car, sending it across Fulton Avenue and crashing into a building across the street and resulting in two deaths. Between December 30, 1941 and 1943, service was suspended when the tracks were cut back and the station was moved to Columbia Street. A temporary station was installed 1,265 feet (386 m) west of its former location until work on this project was finished. Upon the completion of this move and track work, the second station reopened. The station was gutted in a fire on December 31, 1962 and remodeled in April 1963. This station was razed in 1998 and replaced with a much more elaborate, modern third depot, which was built between 1999 and 2002.

### Bus terminal

In 1993, construction on the Hempstead Transit Center was completed, replacing an earlier one. In conjunction with the new railroad station, its construction was part of a plan by Mayor James A. Garner to redevelop Hempstead and help bring it back to prominence as "Long Island's hub." The original Hempstead bus terminal was located across Jackson Street on the corner of Jackson and Main streets. That area is now occupied by the Greyhound bus stop and various businesses. The new transit center can accommodate many more buses than the original terminal and allows almost half of the Nassau Inter-County Express (formerly MTA Long Island Bus) system's routes to run through Hempstead.

### Renaming for Rosa Parks, 2006

On February 14, 2006, Thomas R. Suozzi, then the County Executive of Nassau County, announced that Hempstead Transit Center would be renamed in honor of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. At the dedication, Suozzi said, "To honor her memory and that of her important work, today we are renaming this vital transit hub for one of the most important figures in American history."
In addition to the renaming of the terminal, a permanent exhibit of the civil rights movement will be constructed, telling the story of the struggle for equality through the photographs of photojournalists and artists who covered the unrest of that era, including the late Moneta Sleet Jr., Jim Peppler, and Herbert Randall. A column in the back of the bus terminal has been renovated with black marble, engraved with a large image of Rosa Parks and her story.

## Station layout

This station has two high-level island platforms, each 8 cars long. The Hempstead Branch has eight tracks at this location. The four tracks to the east of the platforms but not adjacent to them are used for train storage.
| M | Mezzanine | Platform crossover, exit/entrance, buses, parking |
| P Platform level | Track 1 | ← Storage track |
| P Platform level | Track 2 | ← Storage track |
| P Platform level | Track 3 | ← Storage track |
| P Platform level | Track 4 | ← Storage track |
| P Platform level | Track 5 | ← Hempstead Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Country Life Press) |
| Island platform, doors will open on the left or right ||
| P Platform level | Track 6 | ← Hempstead Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Country Life Press) |
| P Platform level | Track 7 | ← Hempstead Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Country Life Press) |
| Island platform, doors will open on the left or right ||
| P Platform level | Track 8 | ← Hempstead Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Country Life Press) |

## Bus connections

At the Hempstead Transit Center, there are 19 routes that serve the terminal, those routes being the n6, n6X, n15, n16, n16X, n27, n31, n31X/MMCS, n32, n35, n40, n40X, n41, n48, n49, n54, n55, n70 & n88X. Weekend Jones Beach n88X trips along with n6X and n40X trips stop outside at Jackson Avenue. Departure assignments during the day are listed below, during late night hours when the terminal is closed, all buses stop on West Columbia Street at Station Plaza immediately north of the terminal.
| Bay # | Route | Terminus | Service notes |
| 1 | n31, n31X/MMCS, n32 | Far Rockaway | n31 does not operate on Sundays. n31X/MMCS only runs during weekday rush hours. |
| 2 | n31, n31X/MMCS, n32 | Far Rockaway | n31 does not operate on Sundays. n31X/MMCS only runs during weekday rush hours. |
| 3 | n15 | Long Beach | |
| 4 | n40, n41 | Freeport | n41 only operates overnights between Hempstead and Freeport. |
| 5 | n40, n41 | Freeport | n41 only operates overnights between Hempstead and Freeport. |
| 6 | n16 | Rockville Centre | Weekday service only. |
| 7 | n35 | Baldwin | |
| 8 | n6 | Jamaica, Queens | Operates 24/7. Local service. Express service and trips operating using articulated buses stop outside the terminal on Jackson Avenue. |
| 9 | n6 | Jamaica, Queens | Operates 24/7. Local service. Express service and trips operating using articulated buses stop outside the terminal on Jackson Avenue. |
| 10 | n6 | Jamaica, Queens | Operates 24/7. Local service. Express service and trips operating using articulated buses stop outside the terminal on Jackson Avenue. |
| 11 | Unused | | |
| 12 | n40 | Mineola | |
| 13 | n40 | Mineola | |
| 14 | | No service | Unused bay |
| 15 | n16X | Nassau Community College | Weekday rush hour service to Nassau Community College, only operates when classes are in session. |
| 15 | n16 | Nassau Community College | Weekday service only. |
| 16 | n16X | Nassau Community College | Weekday rush hour service to Nassau Community College, only operates when classes are in session. |
| 16 | n35 | Roosevelt Field Mall Westbury | |
| 17 | n15 | Roosevelt Field Mall Mineola | Some weekday peak trips operate via County Seat Drive and end at Mineola. |
| 18 | n54 | Amityville | No Sunday service. |
| 18 | n55 | Amityville | |
| 19 | n70 | Farmingdale State College | Some trips may use articulated bus and stop outside the terminal on Jackson Avenue. |
| 20 | n70 | Farmingdale State College | Some trips may use articulated bus and stop outside the terminal on Jackson Avenue. |
| 21 | n70 | Farmingdale State College | Some trips may use articulated bus and stop outside the terminal on Jackson Avenue. |
| 22 | n48 | Hicksville Broadway Mall | No Sunday service. |
| 23 | n49 | Hicksville Broadway Mall | |
| 24 | n27 | Glen Cove | n27 weekday service only. |

## Gallery

* Hempstead Rosa Parks Transit Center
* Southwest view of the station.
* West side of the station.
* A train arrives at Hempstead station.
* Commuters transfer from train to bus.
* Greyhound Bus stopping outside the terminal