Mineola
Carle Place is a local stop on the two-track main line with two high-level 12-car side platforms that were built in the late 1960s in preparation for electrification in 1970. The station is located on the side of a bit of a hill, so access is a bit complex. The station has the green water tower for the Carle Place water district hovering above it.
The station's two side platforms begin at their western ends at the underpass of Cherry Lane under the tracks. Here there are two concrete staircases that look older than the rest of the design of the station. These lead up to the ends of both platforms. In the middle of each platform are staircases only up to a footbridge with chain-linked fences and a plastic roof over only the overpass itself.
Along the Jamaica-bound platform the staircase stops at an intermediate landing with access to the end of Stonehinge Lane before continuing down. There is also a short ramp from Stonehinge for wheelchair access. The stations only two red Daily TVMs are located in a small Green 'Tickets' kiosk.
The Points East-bound platform has separate staircase that goes down beneath the platform with its own ramp. These lead down to a sidewalk between a baseball field (Carle Place Park) and sidewalk to the end of Garden Avenue near Douglas Street. The lack of connectivity between the two platforms for ADA passengers requires them to wheel nearly a half mile between the two separated entrances for platform ramp access.
There is one final exit only at the eastern end of the Points East-bound platform. Steps lead off the platform to a sidewalk along the tracks that lead to the end of Carle Road. The station lacks a station house and the only amenities for waiting passengers are silver decrepit shelters with two on the New York-bound platform and one on the Points East platform.
The Station was fully rebuilt as part of the Third Track project that resulted in the installation of a third track on the LIRR main line, including through Carle Place. This resulted in the station being fully rebuilt including a completely new platform being built for Eastbound trains, with the station now having two side platforms for the three tracked line. The new side platforms have a modern silver lighted beam running the length of the platform about 10 feet above the ground above a modern black steel fence. This almost forms a trimline with beams clad in brick holding it up at regular intervals. Canopies hang off this beam at regular intervals with many different sections of canopy, making more than 3 quarters of the Manhattan-bound platform, and more than half of the Points East-bound platform be covered.
Most importantly, the station has been made fully ADA accessible with a new, fully enclosed with glass, foot bridge connecting the two platforms, elevators and stairs (clad in bricks) lead up to this footbridge that provides an accessible connection between the two fully accessible entrances one from Stonehinge Lane from the North (next to the station's small main parking lot) and one via the same (just improved for accessibility) path down to Garden Avenue. On the Points East-bound platform the ramp has been removed with the elevator continuing down to the lowest floor for this entrance (the paltform is an intermediate floor of the elevator). The other three staircase entrances previously were fully rebuilt but the station retained the same number of access points. Photos 1-9: December 2, 2011, 10-52: November 11, 2013; 53-103: November 23, 2023
