LIRR Mastic-Shirley station completes $7.5M renovation project

A new waiting area pavilion and other renovations to the Mastic-Shirley Long Island Rail Road station are complete, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and local elected officials announced Wednesday.

The final cost of the project, which began in December 2023, was around $7.5 million, said Rob Free, LIRR president.

 The Montauk Branch station now has a new concrete sidewalk with ADA-compliant accessibility ramps; a modern, digital train schedule sign — a smaller version of the ones at Penn Station; new LED lighting and station signage; upgrades to communication systems; a new, small platform-level pavilion; and a new 2,000-square-foot ground level waiting area pavilion that houses ticket stations, Free said.

The large, newly constructed pavilion replaced a long-defunct waiting area building some community members repainted in recent years. Shortly after this effort, a purely cosmetic upgrade to a condemned structure, community advocacy groups, including the William Floyd Community Summit and the Chamber of Commerce of the Mastics & Shirley, became involved in the plans to revitalize the Mastic-Shirley station and hoped the MTA would demolish the building.

"It was just kind of falling apart," said summit treasurer April Coppola. "It was an eyesore."

The new beige, open-air pavilion has several historic photographs, including an old shot of the train station as well as those of William Floyd and his estate, selected by community advocates and Brookhaven Town historian Barbara Russell.

"The Long Island Rail Road shares a rich history" with the Island’s various communities, Free said, standing at the Mastic-Shirley station on Wednesday afternoon. "We have been providing service here since 1882. ... Our stations are the first thing our customers see when they use our service, so first impressions are critical."

Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig said the revamped station could prove useful for Long Islanders hoping to head to the beach at Smith Point County Park, around 5.5 miles south of the station. However, she noted the effort to revamp the station was more about addressing long-outstanding community complaints regarding its appearance and for attracting unhoused persons than bolstering tourism or local business.

"It's a great asset to the community; it’s a lot easier than going farther to other train stations," she said. "I don’t necessarily think it’s going to help anything economically for the community."

Community advocates hope the rejuvenated transportation hub will attract more workers to buy or rent homes in the area, especially if coupled with the fruition of plans to revitalize nearby Mastic Beach through a massive mixed-use downtown project.

"It’s a beautiful start to a transformation in the area," said Tony Porcelli, a chamber member and an owner of nearby Carpet Express in Mastic. "Any little improvement makes something else want to be improved. ... This may invite more workers because they can commute to the city from here."