Looking to rail to relieve traffic on local roads and give commuters better options to get to the city is on the mind of County Executive Edward Romaine as he sets his agenda as Suffolk’s top official.
A new station in East Yaphank is on his wish list for state and federal funding, along with a facility in Port Jefferson Station. All three Long Island Rail Road lines serving Suffolk would be electrified under Romaine’s plan, upgrades that would eliminate the massive emissions from the diesel locomotives currently in use.
A new station with quick access from William Floyd Parkway would be a huge relief for straphangers coming from the eastern part of the county. “You will eliminate the drive to Ronkonkoma and relieve the parking problem there, which is outrageous,” Romaine said, adding that he has already discussed a shuttle service with officials from the nearby Brookhaven National Lab. A convenient station would also be a boon for the new development surrounding the Walmart complex in Shirley and the local communities.
“People will opt for the faster, better service of an electrified line extended from Ronkonkoma to East Yaphank. This would relieve parking and bottlenecks at the smaller stations,” Romaine said, noting that the property could accommodate more than 500 cars. Traffic jams occur on William Floyd Parkway every time the train rolls into the Shirley Station, which doesn’t have enough parking capacity to serve all of its users.
The county has recently acquired the defunct Lawrence Aviation property in Port Jefferson Station and has an agreement with the MTA to create a rail yard on a third of the parcel, with a solar farm planned for another third and the rest left as open space. “This encourages electrification of the line, as well as moving the station to ease the crossing at Route 112,” the new county executive said.
Action on Romaine’s plan would have to come down from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the rail road’s parent organization. He said he is forwarding three names to Gov. Kathy Hochul to replace the county’s representative on the MTA board, Sammy Chu, who fell into disfavor with Long Islanders for his vote on congestion pricing in downtown Manhattan. “These new fees will certainly hurt people from the suburbs who have to travel into the city,” Romaine said.