Greenlawn was originally known as Old Fields, but the first railroad station was named Centreport as it was meant to serve the village of Centerport, located about to the north. In the span of a decade, it was changed to Greenlawn-Centreport and then finally Greenlawn to reflect the new community that had developed around the railroad station. The first depot was built in 1868 by the Hicksville and Cold Spring Branch Railroad, renamed "Greenlawn" in 1870, burned down on September 29, 1910, and was replaced by the current building in September 1911. The station building was painted with green trim in the 1990s, after having been painted light blue for several decades. The station had a ticket agent until 1996. In 2017, the station building received a new asphalt roof. The station is about west of the former junction of the Northport Branch, a freight-only railroad spur into Northport built in 1868: it was abandoned in 1978. A team track for off-line customers of the New York & Atlantic Railway exists just west of the station. It is sporadically used. The platform on the south side of the station is not used. The switches for the siding alongside it stands are hand-operated, not remotely controlled by Divide Tower in Hicksville, thus making it impractical for everyday LIRR use. The siding is mostly used by work trains and, on rare occasions, by NYA freight trains. High-level platforms and a pedestrian bridge were added at Greenlawn Station in 1985. These renovations were made in anticipation of planned electrification of the branch from Huntington to Port Jefferson: this has yet to occur. The Town of Huntington offers an annual commuter parking permit that is all valid at all four of Huntington's LIRR stations, Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington, Greenlawn, and Northport. It costs $75.00.
Station layout
The station has two high-level side platforms. The north platform, next to the main track, is 12 cars long. The south platform, next to the siding, is eight cars long, and is not in use. There is also a pedestrian bridge connecting the two platforms. On either ends of the station, the two tracks merge into one.
