Babylon LIRR station renovations will shut half of platforms 

Work is underway on a major renovation of the Long Island Rail Road’s Babylon station, and it will require keeping half the station’s platforms shut down for most of the next 20 months, MTA officials said Friday.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials gathered in Babylon Friday to detail the effort to rehabilitate the 157-year-old Babylon station, where cracked concrete platforms greet its 5,000 customers each day.

"The station platforms and tracks were updated and elevated in 1964, and they’ve certainly gotten a lot of use over those years," said LIRR President Robert Free, who noted that 167 trains stop at Babylon each weekday. "It’s time to bring this station into the 21st century and create the beautiful transit village our customers deserve."

The makeover, which began earlier this month, will include the replacement of both station platforms and two escalators, the installation of a new elevator, and the rebuilding of eight staircases. Other upgrades include new canopies, and refurbished bathrooms and waiting rooms.

To carry out the work, the LIRR has already shut down the western portions of the station’s platforms. They’ll remain closed through May. In September of next year, the eastern portions of the platforms will be taken out of service until May 2026, Free said.

While peak-period service won’t be impacted, the work does require some schedule changes during off-peak hours, according to the LIRR. At least one elevator will remain in service for the duration of the project, which is funded out of the MTA $55 billion 2020-2024 Capital Program.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.