Day-old LIRR stop gets a new name: Elmont-UBS Arena Station
The new Elmont LIRR station will now be known as Elmont-UBS Arena Station. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Just one day after it opened, the Long Island Rail Road's Elmont Station already has a new name: the Elmont-UBS Arena Station.
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board unanimously approved a $1.75 million, 10-year deal giving naming rights for the new train stop to New York Arena Partners, the joint venture behind development of the 19,000-seat venue at Belmont Park. The arena opens Saturday when the Islanders play their home opener against the Calgary Flames.
The venue's owners were "proud to announce and celebrate the naming of the new Elmont-UBS Arena Long Island Rail Road station," Tim Leiweke, chief executive officer of the Oak View Group — one of the members of the joint venture — said in a statement Wednesday.
"This station is a key milestone in establishing UBS Arena as the preferred live entertainment destination in the New York metro area, while providing more accessibility and quality public transportation for our local community," Leiweke said.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday marked the official opening of the $105 million station. Eastbound Hempstead branch trains are scheduled to begin servicing the new station Saturday. Westbound service is expected to begin next summer. For now, trains will only stop at the station on event days, but LIRR officials plan to eventually offer round-the-clock service.
In addition to paying to name the station, the arena’s developer will also cover the cost of creating new station signs. When the contract's term ends, New York Arena Partners will pay for new signs.
MTA acting chief executive officer and chairman Janno Lieber said, although the MTA is not usually in the business of selling the names of its station, the Elmont deal made sense.
He did not rule out similar arrangements in the future, if a proposed name identified a "significant landmark" near a station.
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.
