A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to electrify the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jefferson Branch appears was derailed after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority walked away from a deal to acquire part of the former Lawrence Aviation property in Port Jefferson Station, prompting Long Island officials to accuse Gov. Kathy Hochul, the MTA and Albany Democrats of abandoning the project.
The MTA had been poised to acquire approximately 40 acres of the remediated Lawrence Aviation site for just $10 from the Suffolk County Landbank Corp. The property was viewed as a critical component in plans to build a rail yard needed for future electrification and expanded service on the North Shore line.
Instead, the deal collapsed under an excuse that the area included state-owned greenway and future transportation easements.
State Sen. Mario Mattera blasted the decision, arguing that Long Island commuters are once again being shortchanged by state leaders while continuing to bankroll the MTA.
“Long Islanders are getting screwed,” Mattera said. “We’re paying all the fares, all the taxes, congestion pricing and everything else, and we can’t even get electrification.”
Mattera said the decision highlights what he views as hypocrisy among Albany Democrats who champion aggressive environmental mandates while allowing diesel-powered trains to remain in service.
“The Hochul administration is all about the clean environment,” Mattera said. “But all of a sudden it’s OK to have filthy diesel trains running on the North Shore line.”
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, who has long advocated for electrification, expressed similar frustration.
“The fact that the railroad is still using outdated, highly polluting diesel trains is a disgrace,” Romaine said. “It flies in the face of Albany’s push to eliminate fossil fuels.”
Environmental mandates enacted in recent years have targeted gasoline-powered vehicles, home appliances and heating systems, while diesel locomotives continue operating daily on portions of the Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay, Montauk and Greenport branches.
Mattera suggested the MTA deliberately walked away from the property because acquiring it would increase pressure to finally move forward with electrification.
“The easiest thing to do is say, ‘We don’t want it,’” Mattera said. “They know we’d be asking, ‘What’s going on? When are we electrifying?’”
For many Long Island commuters, the collapse of the deal means diesel trains — and the long-promised electrification project — remain stuck at the station.