Lynbrook in late 1910, then from East Rockaway to Wreck Lead ("WL") on January 15, 1927. Electrification of the main tracks from Valley Stream to Long Beach was finished in September 1910, with the freight sidings being electrified between 1928 and 1930. This upgrade coincided with the PRR's electrification and grade separation of multiple suburban lines. Color light signals were installed in January 1927; they were later replaced by PRR-style position light signals. MTA takeover On January 20, 1965, the State of New York announced its intentions to purchase the LIRR from the PRR. The LIRR was to be operated by the newly-formed Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority, today's current MTA. The MTA began operating new M1 electric coaches in 1968, which resulted in the upgrading of every station on the line to high-level platforms. The Long Beach Branch's familiar orange color scheme () was first implemented on May 20, 1974 as part of the MTA's Form 8 timetable. Hurricane Sandy and infrastructure modernization Hurricane Sandy struck Long Island on October 29–30, 2012, and the Long Beach Branch was the most seriously affected of all the LIRR lines despite a full systemwide shutdown on October 29. Third rail power was lost, as three of the four substations on the line were knocked out. The line between Island Park and Long Beach was strewn with debris, and switch motors at Long Beach station, along with other signal and communications components on the line, were rendered inoperative due to immersion in salt water. Bus service began between Lynbrook and on November 7. Partial rail service was restored on November 14, when a diesel-operated shuttle between Lynbrook and Long Beach began operating on a modified weekday schedule, with shuttle buses being utilized on weekends and Thanksgiving in place of train service. Full electric service, initially not expected to return until January 2013, was restored much earlier than anticipated, on November 25, 2012. The total cost of post-Sandy restoration projects on the branch is expected to cost $68.6 million and be completed by September 2021. The projects also include the raising of the Oceanside, Oil City, and Long Beach substations off the ground and an emergency generator for the Wreck Lead Bridge over Reynolds Channel. Positive train control, a federally-mandated technology to improve railroad safety, was implemented on the line on October 30, 2019. Stations References External links Long Beach Branch Stations (Unofficial LIRR History