Long Island Rail Road to explore storing more trains at Port Washington rail yard
The Long Island Rail Road station in Port Washington on Aug. 1. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
The Long Island Rail Road could increase service on the Port Washington line after the Town of North Hempstead agreed to let the agency explore a plan to expand the rail yard where trains are stored.
The LIRR is considering an extension of the two outermost tracks, which would allow for more trains to be stored in the town's rail yard. Doing so would allow the agency to run more trains from Port Washington into Penn Station and Grand Central Madison. But the extension could result in the loss of prime commuter parking spaces in Port Washington, the hub for one of the LIRR's most popular lines.
Last month, the North Hempstead Town Board approved a "memorandum of understanding" letting the LIRR study the proposal, town documents show.
The Port Washington Branch had the third highest ridership of any LIRR branch in 2023, with 9.9 million customers, agency officials said. Since Grand Central Madison opened in February 2023, commuters have experienced checkered service on the Port Washington line.
"This is a decision that had to be made for the good of the whole town, and for future residents and homeowners," North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in an interview. "If we don’t have that express service, people might not want to pay the high prices to live in Port Washington, Manhasset and Great Neck."
DeSena said she wanted to approve the agreement because she fears the Metropolitan Transporation Authority will have to delay scores of infrastructure projects and service upgrades after Gov. Kathy Hochul in June indefinitely delayed congestion pricing. The decision blew a $16.5 billion hole in the MTA's capital budget.
"If we didn’t enter this MOU [memorandum of understanding] right now, we might not have another opportunity for 10 more years," DeSena, a Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans, said.
When Grand Central Madison first opened, the LIRR alternated morning rush hour trains between the new terminal and Penn Station.
In early November, two Grand Central-bound trains — at 6:47 a.m. and 7:19 a.m. — were rerouted to Penn. For a few weeks, the LIRR did not run any trains from Port Washington to Grand Central for more than two hours during the peak morning commute.
Later that month, the LIRR agreed to send trains to Grand Central at 6:42 a.m. and 7:19 a.m. The MTA also rerouted a Grand Central-bound train that originated in Great Neck at 7:35 a.m., to Penn Station.
There are eight tracks at the Port Washington station, but because two of the tracks don't extend all the way to the north end of the station, LIRR operators are limited in how many trains can be stored and operated there.
"If this is going to help the residents with train service, reliability and frequency, I’m 100% behind it," said Mariann Dalimonte, a North Hempstead councilwoman from Port Washington.
But Dalimonte, a Democrat, said she worried about the loss of much-needed parking spaces.
State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Old Westbury) said he is optimistic about the project after a recent conversation with LIRR President Rob Free.
"The answer and the solution to providing greater flexibility for rail travel in the Port Washington line is to expand the rail presence in Port Washington, to allow for more trains to be staged," Martins said in an interview.
Under the terms of the agreement, the "LIRR and the Town agree to take all such necessary actions as soon as possible to implement the Yard Track Extension Project ..."
But Martins said he expects it will be a "few years" before the extensions are finished. The next step, DeSena said, is for the MTA to conduct a study to evaluate the potential impact on traffic and parking. As part of the project, the LIRR can also renovate platforms, canopies and pedestrian overpasses, according to the agreement.
Free did not provide a timeline for the study during the MTA’s July 31 board meeting, but he emphasized the importance of the project.
"We feel that it would improve Port Washington service," Free said. "It’s one of our most highly used branches, so that’s why it’s needed so much."
With Alfonso A. Castillo
The Long Island Rail Road could increase service on the Port Washington line after the Town of North Hempstead agreed to let the agency explore a plan to expand the rail yard where trains are stored.
The LIRR is considering an extension of the two outermost tracks, which would allow for more trains to be stored in the town's rail yard. Doing so would allow the agency to run more trains from Port Washington into Penn Station and Grand Central Madison. But the extension could result in the loss of prime commuter parking spaces in Port Washington, the hub for one of the LIRR's most popular lines.
Last month, the North Hempstead Town Board approved a "memorandum of understanding" letting the LIRR study the proposal, town documents show.
The Port Washington Branch had the third highest ridership of any LIRR branch in 2023, with 9.9 million customers, agency officials said. Since Grand Central Madison opened in February 2023, commuters have experienced checkered service on the Port Washington line.
WHAT TO KNOW
- North Hempstead Town approved a "memorandum of understanding" with the LIRR in July that lets the agency explore a plan to store more trains at the town's rail yard.
Since Grand Central Madison opened in February 2023, commuters have experienced checkered service on the Port Washington line.
There are eight tracks at the Port Washington station, but because two of the tracks don't extend all the way to the end of the station, LIRR operators are limited in how many trains can be kept at the rail yard.
"This is a decision that had to be made for the good of the whole town, and for future residents and homeowners," North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in an interview. "If we don’t have that express service, people might not want to pay the high prices to live in Port Washington, Manhasset and Great Neck."
DeSena said she wanted to approve the agreement because she fears the Metropolitan Transporation Authority will have to delay scores of infrastructure projects and service upgrades after Gov. Kathy Hochul in June indefinitely delayed congestion pricing. The decision blew a $16.5 billion hole in the MTA's capital budget.
"If we didn’t enter this MOU [memorandum of understanding] right now, we might not have another opportunity for 10 more years," DeSena, a Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans, said.
Checkered service
When Grand Central Madison first opened, the LIRR alternated morning rush hour trains between the new terminal and Penn Station.
In early November, two Grand Central-bound trains — at 6:47 a.m. and 7:19 a.m. — were rerouted to Penn. For a few weeks, the LIRR did not run any trains from Port Washington to Grand Central for more than two hours during the peak morning commute.
Later that month, the LIRR agreed to send trains to Grand Central at 6:42 a.m. and 7:19 a.m. The MTA also rerouted a Grand Central-bound train that originated in Great Neck at 7:35 a.m., to Penn Station.
There are eight tracks at the Port Washington station, but because two of the tracks don't extend all the way to the north end of the station, LIRR operators are limited in how many trains can be stored and operated there.
"If this is going to help the residents with train service, reliability and frequency, I’m 100% behind it," said Mariann Dalimonte, a North Hempstead councilwoman from Port Washington.
But Dalimonte, a Democrat, said she worried about the loss of much-needed parking spaces.
No timeline for study
State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Old Westbury) said he is optimistic about the project after a recent conversation with LIRR President Rob Free.
"The answer and the solution to providing greater flexibility for rail travel in the Port Washington line is to expand the rail presence in Port Washington, to allow for more trains to be staged," Martins said in an interview.
Under the terms of the agreement, the "LIRR and the Town agree to take all such necessary actions as soon as possible to implement the Yard Track Extension Project ..."
But Martins said he expects it will be a "few years" before the extensions are finished. The next step, DeSena said, is for the MTA to conduct a study to evaluate the potential impact on traffic and parking. As part of the project, the LIRR can also renovate platforms, canopies and pedestrian overpasses, according to the agreement.
Free did not provide a timeline for the study during the MTA’s July 31 board meeting, but he emphasized the importance of the project.
"We feel that it would improve Port Washington service," Free said. "It’s one of our most highly used branches, so that’s why it’s needed so much."
With Alfonso A. Castillo
Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
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