LIRR given green-light on relocation of Yaphank station

"We're saying goodbye to the old Yaphank station, where trains have been running, believe it or not, since 1844", said MTA Chairman Janno Lieber. The MTA has finally got going on a project to relocate the existing least used LIRR station, Yaphank, which "sits in the middle of nowhere" just east of Yaphank Avenue to a new location much closer to Brookhaven National Lab 3 miles from the current location.

The new station, which would be located near William Floyd Parkway will feature a 2-car platform, the norm out here on the Greenport line, 50 parking spaces, CCTV cameras, AVPS displays/speakers, and help points. and would be a nice, brand-new, ADA accessible station. Coupled with the Mastic-Shirley renovations, it will really improve public transit in this area. 

This new station while not only being very close to Shirley's Amazon Warehouse, will only take a 7-minute shuttle ride to Brookhaven National lab, making it a possible attractive option for reverse-peak and intra-island riders looking to work in BNL.

MTA President of Construction and Development Jamie Torres-Springer said "It's going to be a great station for passengers"  and while MTA officials broke the news that it won't be part of an electrified track, it's a good step in the right direction, and LIRR president Rob Free said "it's part of a larger picture as we look down the road to expand and electrify a double track out here."

While the date for opening hasn't been confirmed, it's set for sometime in Mid-2026, giving construction workers a year to build and polish this new station.

After years of delays due to low funding, arguments about the proposed location, and due to it being low on the MTA's priority list, funding was finally provided in the MTA's Capital Program, and this project will finally come to reality

The name...

One thing that I cannot confirm is the name of this new station. Multiple names have been floated around including just Yaphank, East Yaphank, Upton/BNL, or North Shirley, and the current favorite seams to be Camp Upton/BNL, paying tribute to Camp Upton. Janno Lieber said the current station will remain on it's current schedule until the station opens.

The thing about Yaphank...

I'm personally looking forward to this new station, which I may try to go see during it's construction if I can get out there. However, the new station is only part of a larger picture. Ridership has been so light out at this station mainly due to the very low service, not as much due to it's location. Many of the residents didn't even know about the station, not just because it's hidden, but because service was so bad that many simply forgot about it. Ridership on a given day is so low that it barely hits double-digits.

The building of this new station opens up an opportunity out here. We've seen multiple improvements recently out on the East End (or close to it), and I believe we should continue. Service east of Ronkonkoma is the worst seen in the entire system, with TERRIBLE spacing between trains, with an average of 7 hours between trains! If they plan to build a station and provide the service currently provided, they may as well just forget about it. They must improve service at a least a bit for this to make sense, especially during the peak and reverse-peak periods. I will talk about this more in the South and North fork posts of my Reworked Timetable Project, but I believe they should aim for gaps no larger then 3 hours during off-peak periods with shuttles to Ronkonkoma, and they should aim for hourly service during peak and reverse-peak periods to/from Ronkonkoma along with a select few thru-trains. It may be difficult, considering it's not double tracked nor does it have a signal-system, but I think with careful planning it's probably achievable. Some believe they should electrify to Yaphank in the near future, I believe that isn't a good option. First, if they were even to electrify, it should be to Riverhead because even though thats another good 20 miles or so of track to electrify, it will allow for expansion in that area, plus, I believe it's much more practicial to electrify the Port Jefferson Branch first, then work from there. 

They've also outlined they plan to abandon and demolish the current station once the new one is in service, which I also personally believe they should leave the current Yaphank station where it is. 2.5 miles turns out to be the average length between stations on the railroad entirely, and while many say station location isn't the greatest, it's still near some residential development and would be of zero cost for them to just "let it sit there". I don't ever think it's really a good idea to just "abandon" a station, especially here considering the near location of Suffolk County offices.

What's next...

Now that we are making improvements on this badly-needed stretch of track, we should look towards the future of rail on the East End. I believe the LIRR should look into building new stations on the East End, particularly on the North Fork, providing more rail opportunities. There are are some huge gaps between stations on the North Fork, and by building new stations, we can close these gaps and bring back old stations that were closed years ago providing growth in surrounding communities. I will talk about this in future posts about rail in the North and South Forks.

Similar to Mastic-Shirley station, here are some renderings of what the station could look like. I expect it to look somewhat similar to Mastic-Shirley station looks like now. 

Sec. Sean Duffy goes on a "field-trip" to Manhattan

I thought I'd make a quick post on a news thing that occurred with the MTA and New York City Transit that I saw yesterday evening. Been a while since I've covered New York City Transit, but I think this important. Yesterday, Sean Duffy, head of DOT, took a two-stop ride on the B train (possibly not the greatest choice), with the goal of addressing the New York City Subway's state of security and safety at this time. His findings were rather, aggressive, and he claimed "We're not where this needs to be" after being brought on a brief tour by Mayor Adams. 

He said he passed people who seamed to be unwell during his tour, and he called it "not humane" to have people with mental illness living in the subway. At the press event later, he said he may try to send DOGE folks down to the MTA to see how there spending their money and try to make any improvements to how taxpayer money is being spent. 

Amazingly, when asked if he considered the subway a "shithole" he said "Some would say". Quite a defeat to all those who work in and for it. An annoyed Gov. Kathy Hochul said this "Sec. Duffy  has literally no idea what he's talking about. As Mayor Adams and most New Yorkers know, Gov Kathy Hochul has stepped up to add NYPD officers and security guards resources on public transit. Now, subway crime has declined by double digits and ridership continues to grow". "We hope secretary enjoyed his field trip to Manhattan." 

Apparently, he's now threatening to defund the MTA over their crime issues alone. Personally, I believe the MTA has been trying to improve crime rates, and that it's a very difficult task considering the size of the system and the amount of crime and homelessness that was allowed to build up over time. I'd like to see him provide more constructive feed back, instead of just slamming them. This must be a huge slap in the face for the the entire MTA leadership including Janno Lieber himself.

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How to get to Citi Field from….

Okay, now that tomorrow is the first day of the Mets Home Opener, let’s celebrate by taking a look at “How to get to Citi Field from _______” different places via the train.

There’s two Mets-Willets Point stations, my personal favorite, the subway station, and there’s a railroad station on the Port Washington Branch.

from Penn Station…

Board a Port Washington Branch train (it’s colored red on the destination sign) going to Great Neck or Port Washington. If it’s during rush hours, make sure to check the TrainTime app or timetable to guarantee your train stops there. Mets is the second stop.

from Port Washington Branch stations…

Board a westbound Port Washington branch train (they typically run every 30-60 minutes). If it’s during rush hours, make sure to consult to the TrainTime app or timetable to guarantee the train stops there.

from Jamaica 

Board a westbound train stopping at Woodside (they typically depart from tracks 1,2, and 3, and check the destination signs to make sure your train is stopping there, many trains don’t stop there. At Woodside, wait on the middle platform for an eastbound train to either Great Neck or Port Washington. During weekday evening games, check the schedule to guarantee your train is stopping there.

from all other stations EAST of Jamaica…

Board a train at your home station and take it to Jamaica, may require a transfer at somewhere else (take Babylon for example) if you live in diesel territory. If your train happens to stop at Woodside, you can stay not, otherwise, transfer at Jamaica to a train stopping there. Once you reach Woodside, wait on the middle platform an eastbound train to Great Neck or Port Washington. During weekday evening games, check the schedule to guarantee your train is stopping there.

from Kew Gardens or Forest Hills…

Board any westbound train to Penn Station  (unless your traveling there at 3:42am or 8:40am, in which you can get off at Woodside and skip to step 2), and ride it all the way to Penn Station, then, at Penn Station, board a Port Washington Branch train (it’s colored red on the destination sign) going to Great Neck or Port Washington.

from Hunterspoint Avenue to Long Island City…

Board any eastbound train, once you reach Jamaica, use the overpass to crossover to tracks 1, 2, 3, where you should board a westbound train stopping at Woodside, check the destination signs to make sure your train is stopping there, many trains don’t stop there. Once you reach Woodside, wait on the middle platform an eastbound train to Great Neck or Port Washington. During weekday evening games, check the schedule to guarantee your train is stopping there. However, if your traveling from either station, I’d highly recommend just taking the no.7 train, which stops in both neighborhoods and is a much easier and cheaper alternative. 

from Atlantic Terminal, Nostrand Avenue, or East New York…

Board any eastbound train that stops at Jamaica (not that any don’t!), then, at Jamaica, use the overpasses to crossover to tracks 1, 2, or 3, where you should board a westbound train stopping at Woodside, check the destination signs to make sure your train is stopping there, many trains don’t stop there. Once you reach Woodside, wait on the middle platform an eastbound train to Great Neck or Port Washington. During weekday evening games, check the schedule to guarantee your train is stopping there.

 

Interlocking Walkthrough: CI

Our next up in our Interlocking Walkthrough series is CI interlocking in Central Islip (everyone calls Central Islip “CI”.) This interlocking sits in the Main Line (aka Ronkonkoma Branch) and is rarely used besides during track-work. This interlocking is a very simple and consistent of two switch. 

Switches

CI is a rather typical interlocking, that only consists of (going from east to west) a switch going from track 1 to track 2, then soon afterward, a switch going back to track 2. This is your typical mid-line LIRR interlocking, that’s used rarely.

Neighbors 

CI Interlocking is bordered by BRENT interlocking to the west in Brentwood, and by KO interlocking to the east in Ronkonkoma.  

The speed limit thru the area is 80 mph, which is fitting considering the long, straight stretch of track.

All MTA Agencies To Have A “Fare-Free Day”

After a rough winter for the MTA after Congestion Pricing failed, the MTA just announced at a press conference yesterday evening that all MTA agencies will have a "fare-free day". The news released occurred late, late last night at 11:59pm, in a small corner of the MTA's website. 

On this day, similar to what NJT did last summer, you'll be able to ride any MTA service and use the bridges and tunnels free of charge. 

The MTA hasn't announced exactly what day it'll occur, but the date is scheduled to occur on a Friday before April 30th, "a nice start to the weekend" as the MTA described it.

This morning, Governor Kathy Hochul voiced her happiness for the initiative "A fare-free day is great opportunity to make our public transit system more accessible to all", "I urge all New Yorkers to take advantage of this opportunity to explore the city".

MTA Chair Janno Lieber claimed in the press conference last night that they were also doing this as a thank you to passengers, employees, and riders alike. 

The MTA did this after months of complaints from commuters about congestion pricing, with even President Donald Trump trying to get rid of it, and the MTA has finally decided to something about it.

(April fools!)