New Yaphank LIRR station should be open in about a year, officials say

A new Yaphank train station should open in about a year in an industrial park off the Long Island Expressway, replacing a rail depot that is one of the oldest and least used on the Island, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials and elected leaders announced Thursday.

The $20 million station will be built on a 5.36-acre plot at Precision Innovation Park, about a mile east of the expressway's Exit 68 and 3 miles from the current Yaphank station off Yaphank Avenue, officials said during a groundbreaking ceremony.  

The new station will have a paved parking lot and bus loop — a marked upgrade over the current station, which has a gravel lot and unmarked parking stalls. 

“Times have changed and the riders deserve a more modern station that is better situated for Yaphank and the community around us that exists today,” MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said.

Relocating the Yaphank station, which has been at its present location since 1844, has long been a high priority for elected officials in Suffolk County and Brookhaven Town. The new station, located near William Floyd Parkway, should be more convenient for employees and guest researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory, many of whom use the Ronkonkoma station 20 minutes from the lab, officials said.

The ceremony at the industrial park, which also includes an Amazon distribution facility and warehouses for brands such as Uncle Wally's baked goods and Tate's Bake Shop, was held in a muddy field during a rainstorm as officials huddled under tents and umbrellas.

"We're getting thunderous applause," LIRR President Rob Free said after thunder rolled overhead.

The station is being funded through the MTA’s capital budget and should open sometime next year, Lieber said.

‘Camp Upton/BNL’

The location is a geographical anomaly — depending on the reference, it's in Shirley or East Yaphank. The LIRR already has a Mastic-Shirley station about 6 miles south on William Floyd Parkway.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico suggested the new station will get a new name.

“The favorite seems to be ‘Camp Upton/BNL,' which pays homage to the history of this area and recognizes Brookhaven National Laboratory for the powerhouse that they are,” Panico said.

Camp Upton, a World War I-era military training ground, was on the site now occupied by Brookhaven lab.

Would-be train riders say the Yaphank station, situated beneath an overpass, is difficult to find. Many local residents say they don't even know it's there.

Ridership at the current Yaphank station last year totaled 4,365 — 3,710 on weekdays and 655 on weekends — or 15 riders a day on weekdays and six a day on weekends, Newsday has previously reported.

“I think the data shows that the current Yaphank station is sparsely if hardly ever used," Panico said in an interview after the ceremony. "There's no loss to Yaphank, there’s only benefit in the relocation here.”

The new station will include a two-car train platform, a parking lot with 50 spaces and a plaza area with a bike rack, officials said.

In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the new Yaphank station “promises to be a world-class, fully accessible experience that connects riders to additional amenities faster than ever before.”

Seen as a boon for Brookhaven

Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association, the region's leading business group, said relocating the Yaphank station "has been an LIRR holy grail ... today marks a giant leap forward in Brookhaven’s journey for improved service, greater access and the economic growth bound to come.”  

Free noted that, as part of the MTA’s 2025-2029 capital plan, the railroad intends to begin early work on building a second track to Yaphank and extending electrification to the station.

Brookhaven lab chief operating officer Ann Emrick said the lab fills shuttle buses nearly every day to take staff and researchers to and from the Ronkonkoma train station. The new Yaphank train depot will be less than 10 minutes from the Upton campus.

“We are so excited to have this train station," Emrick said in an interview. "This will give them much better access to get out here, especially those who come from the city airports.”  

Panico noted that his predecessor, Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, had pushed for the relocation for more than a decade.

“We’re taking an almost-impossible-to-find former station and locating it in a bustling industrial park … literally in walking distance of Brookhaven National Laboratory,” he said. “Even though we’re standing here with muddy feet in puddles, it’s gratifying to see that it came to fruition.”

With Alfonso Castillo

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.