(The following article by Joie Tyrrell was published in Newsday on June 15.)
NEW YORK — In anticipation of expanding the Port Jefferson line, the Long Island Rail Road wants to build a 16-track train storage yard between Huntington and Smithtown.
A specific site has not yet been selected. The railroad will introduce a variety of possible locations at a public hearing scheduled for Monday night at the East Northport Middle School. Poster boards depicting the selection sites will be available for review from 5 to 7:30 p.m. followed by a presentation and question-and-answer session.
“This is the first step in the process,” said LIRR spokesman Brian Dolan. “To have [the line] run more efficiently, we need a yard to reliably deliver the service.”
But some residents have already expressed concern, and one local legislator would like the railroad to be more specific before the public hearing.
“Huntington to Smithtown is a long expansive rail line,” said Huntington Town Board member Mark Cuthbertson. “If you are going to call a public meeting to talk about this, at least let people know in eastern Smithtown or western Huntington so people who are really interested will attend the meeting. It’s strange they are not advising people what the potential locations are.”
About three years ago, Greenlawn residents strongly opposed a proposed 16-track night-time storage and maintenance yard in their community. Dolan said that because of a prior MTA commitment, the current proposed yard will not be located within Greenlawn.
He declined to name the specific locations under consideration before the meeting, but said storage is desperately needed on the line. The railroad is starting the environmental review process that will lead to an impact statement. The Federal Transit Administration will review the findings and issue a decision on the site. A final environmental impact statement should be finished within 2005.
The railroad currently stores equipment on a siding east of the Huntington Station with a three-train capacity. Also, the railroad operates several morning rush hour trains to Huntington from its West Side Yard, which is becoming increasingly impractical as morning rush-hour service is expected to expand, the LIRR said.
The railroad also expects to increase its electric fleet by 40 percent as the new M7 cars are rolled into service, and a new yard could mean extending electrification east of Huntington.
The site will be located within about a quarter mile from the track. The site should be able to accommodate an 1,800-foot long by 425-foot wide parcel required for a 16-track rail yard. And it should be vacant or underutilized, according to railroad documents.
Dolan said the environmental review will take residential proximity into consideration.