The route structure of the Long Island Rail Road virtually necessitates the existence of a major hub like Jamaica at the center of the system. With lines from three separate western terminals (Flatbush Avenue, Long Island City and Penn Station via the East River Tunnels), and two main lines diverging to the east (and themselves splitting into multiple destination points), there is just no way that the LIRR could handle the number of trains that would be needed for all travelers to reach their various destinations without a change of trains. As a result, Jamaica is one of the busiest stations in the country. Here, looking east towards Hall Tower, the LIRR's line running along the south side of Long Island to Montauk can be seen diving beneath the overpass for the station bypass tracks which join the tracks on the left to form the LIRR's central line to Greenport. Both lines split several times along the way east to serve additional end points such as Far Rockaway, Long Beach, Oyster Bay and Port Jefferson.
