Merillon Avenue station was established in 1911 near the former Clowesville station, which was established in June 1837 by the Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad. It was the closest LIRR station to the old Queens County courthouse off Jericho Turnpike. By 1845, it was used only when courts were in session. From 1874-1876, the station was named "Garden City" in order to mislead travelers into thinking that the station served Alexander Turney Stewart's Garden City, which was already served by Garden City station along the Central Railroad of Long Island in 1872.The court moved away in 1877 and the station fell by the wayside, although some trains continued to stop there as late as June 1897. Though re-established as a station in 1911, the station house itself was not built until 1912. It was rebuilt in 1958 with a smaller structure and an narrow 11'6" bridge under the tracks for Nassau Boulevard.
LIRR massacre
The Merillon Avenue station was the final stop on the 5:33 p.m. train from Penn Station to Hicksville on December 7, 1993, before Colin Ferguson opened gunfire at passengers who were white or Asian in a racially motivated attack. Six people were murdered and 19 others were wounded. Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was killed and whose son was seriously injured in the tragedy, pressed for tougher gun control laws and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1996. There are often memorial wreaths on the platform at the head of the eastbound tracks of the station on the anniversaries of the incident.
Station enhancements
As part of the Main Line third track project, the Merillon Avenue station will be upgraded to accommodate full-length 12-car trains, and platform B will be relocated. Canopies, benches, signage, and security cameras will be installed. The station will be made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 via the installation of elevators and ramps. The existing station building will be demolished and replaced with extra parking spaces. Amenities such as Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, artwork, and digital information displays would be included in the renovation. The electrical substation at Merillon Avenue station will be replaced to make way for the third track.
Platforms and tracks
This station has two high-level side platforms, each the length of ten train cars. During peak hours, both platforms can serve peak-direction trains in the opposite direction. Trains on the Oyster Bay Branch, Ronkonkoma Branch, and Montauk Branch pass through the station without stopping.
