Now that the Yaphank Train Station is being moved to the other side of William Floyd Parkway, officials are looking for ideas on what to name the new facility.
The existing station, adjacent to the county offices off Yaphank Avenue, saw little use. Its new home, closer to Brookhaven Lab, an industrial park, and the new development around the Walmart superstore, will make it accessible to more riders.
“Our planning staff has been working with officials from the Long Island Rail Road for years on this project, which began through a casual conversation I had with current Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine about the idea after I would pass an empty Yaphank station almost daily on my way to work,” noted Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico. “Ed liked the idea and championed it over the years, which will augment our bustling industrial park.”
The Long Island Rail Road is considering East Yaphank, Upton, and a couple more as new names, according to Panico. “Please feel free to suggest a name that I may pass on,” he urged.
Panico made shoutouts to Mitch Pally, a former board member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the rail road’s parent organization, who he called an “unwavering supporter of the Long Island region during his tenure,” and current board member Marc Herbst for seeing the Yaphank move through.
Current plans don’t include electrifying the line to Ronkonkoma, a major hub to New York City. Riders are enjoying a newly renovated Penn Station and a direct connection to a new terminal at Grand Central. Despite reports that groundbreaking on the new station would begin this month, Panico indicated that it's still a few months off.