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| Officials push to electrify LIRR train lines in Suffolk County (1341362) | |||
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Officials push to electrify LIRR train lines in Suffolk County |
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Posted by Gold_12th on Wed Feb 25 02:35:00 2015  Officials have announced a new push to electrify more Long Island Rail Road train lines in Suffolk County. Local lawmakers are urging the LIRR to electrify the train lines eastward into Patchogue on the South Shore and into Port Jefferson on the North Shore. Officials say the current diesel service is outdated and that electrification would mean better service, quicker commutes and increased ridership. Currently, electric trains run only as far east as Huntington on the North Shore, Ronkonkoma on the Main Line, and Babylon on the South Shore. It’s diesel service beyond those points. The Long Island Rail Road says electrifying a line costs about $18 million per mile, making the total cost hundreds of millions of dollars. State Sen. Tom Croci (R – Patchogue) says some of the money could come from a $5 billion court settlement the state received. “When you look at the governor's budget proposals, Suffolk was kind of left out in the cold. We're working on that right now,” said Croci. In a statement, the LIRR says extending electric train service would take years to complete, but it will take a look at the large-scale costs and weigh them against the benefits. http://longisland.news12.com/news/officials-push-to-electrify-lirr-train-lines-in-suffolk-1.9971123 Electrification of the Long Island Rail Road from Babylon to Mastic-Shirley would help commuters and boost the economy of South Shore communities, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Edward P. Romaine said Tuesday. In asking for electric lines on the Montauk Branch to be extended east, Brookhaven became the second municipality this month to call on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to consider such a project. Earlier this month, officials in Port Jefferson Village called on the MTA to extend electric lines from where it currently ends, in Huntington, to Port Jefferson Station. For his part, Romaine called on New York State to spend what he characterized as part of a multibillion-dollar surplus to electrify the Montauk branch from Babylon, to Patchogue, Bellport and on to Mastic-Shirley. "We're here to send a message: Enough," Romaine, flanked by state and county legislators, said at a news conference at the Patchogue train station. "We're watching a train system with 19th century technology." State Sen. Tom Croci (R-Islip), who attended the news conference, said, "Let's take some cars off the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway. We'll take a very strong look at investing dollars from the state level that are truly aimed at infrastructure." An MTA spokesman said projects such as those called for in Brookhaven and Port Jefferson are not on the drawing board. "Expanding electrified rail service is a costly endeavor -- an estimated $18 million per mile in today's dollars -- and would take many years to accomplish," Long Island Rail Road spokesman Salvatore Arena said in a statement. Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri said electric trains in place of the diesel ones would help commuters get to and from his village. "The development of a community is driven by the people who can get to the community," he said. Electric train service would "fortify the village" and "help it prosper," he added. Romaine said that Nassau and Suffolk counties are among the wealthiest in the country. But he asked is "the wealth of the county being invested by the MTA in the infrastructure? I'm concerned." Officials said having extended electrification east would make train service more reliable. But the MTA spokesman cautioned that such a project would be daunting. "The LIRR must assess market demand for such a large scale investment and evaluate both the costs and benefits and ultimately need a clear consensus that the project is supported by local communities and their elected officials," Arena said. Justin Meyers, spokesman for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, said Bellone "is supportive of the idea of expanding electrification of the LIRR." "By electrifying the line, we'll get more people in," said Suffolk County Legis. Rob Calarco (D-Patchogue). "But it won't be effective without the MTA stepping up to the plate and investing." http://www.newsday.com/long-island/brookhaven-officials-want-mta-to-extend-electric-train-service-from-babylon-to-mastic-shirley-1.9973038 Dreaming... |
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