Railroad Project to Give Patchogue Residents Some Peace and Quiet

Residents living near the Patchogue Train Station will get some long-awaited peace and quiet as the railroad begins a project to build a sidetrack where trains can idle away from their homes.

The $3 million Long Island Rail Road effort will extend the track further east of a residential area near South Ocean Avenue and Academy Street toward a commercial section between Rider and Bay Avenues. The 10-day project will require weekend closures of the two streets and disrupt railroad service on the Montauk Branch all the way to Babylon, according to Metropolitan Transportation Agency officials who manage the railroad.

State Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo, left, discusses the railroad improvement project in Patchogue with Senator Dean Murray File Photo

“Residents living near the tracks will finally get some peace and quiet,” said state Senator Dean Murray, who noted he’s been pushing for the project for years. “The idling trains were noisy, and they vibrated the area around them. This will move the trains, still running when they’re not in service, further away to a more commercial and industrial area.”

“The area will experience some weekend closures of local streets, but the minor disruptions will be well worth it as this long-time source of noise and aggravation will be relocated,” said Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo. “We’re all glad to see this project finally get off the ground.”

Brookhaven Supervisor Edward Romaine bemoaned the railroad’s continued use of diesel engines. “In this day and age, it’s preposterous that Long Island is subject to these outdated 19th Century behemoths,” Romaine said. “These tracks and all the other MTA tracks on Long Island must be electrified,” he said, pointing out that funds for the clean energy modifications should be made available from President Biden’s $1.1 trillion infrastructure plan.