LIRR third track project won’t need property acquisition

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Office of Governor Cuomo

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that his proposal to significantly expand the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) by adding a third track along the mainline will not require any residential property acquisitions.

 

Initially, the LIRR anticipated acquiring portions of up to 20 residential properties to construct the expansion, but at the governor’s direction, the preliminary plan has been revised to ensure that the addition of a third track occurs entirely within the existing right of way, eliminating the need to acquire any residential properties.

Working with local mayors and the LIRR, Gov. Cuomo has also committed to reviewing all seven grade crossings along the LIRR expansion project corridor. The governor’s administration will work with the communities to eliminate the crossings in consultation with the communities to find the right approach to each of them.

“This plan is a transformative project for Long Island,” said Gov.Cuomo. “My administration is fully committed to mitigating the project’s impact on surrounding communities and improving safety overall. The project will move forward on the existing right of way – so that zero homes must be acquired – and we will work hand-in-hand with local communities to ensure safe, redesigned grade crossings. I’m proud to see this project moving forward and I thank our local partners for their support.”

Unlike previous plans proposed a decade ago, this new effort dramatically minimizes the impact on communities along the project corridor. The governor’s proposal reduces the proposed corridor from 11.5 in old plans to 9.8 miles in today’s plan.

Currently, the LIRR is limited by track capacity. At peak times, the LIRR is forced to run trains in one direction between Floral Park and Hicksville, making it impossible for reverse commuters and intra-island travelers. In essence, millions of people are limited by a system of transportation designed and virtually unchanged from 50 years ago. In order to modernize the system, improve commutes for customers and reduce congestion on Long Island’s roads, the governor has proposed expanding the LIRR’s capacity between Floral Park and Hicksville. The project will allow the LIRR to increase service, reduce congestion and train delays caused whenever there is an incident along this busy stretch of tracks and will enable the LIRR to run “reverse-peak” trains to allow people to take the LIRR to jobs on Long Island during traditional business hours.

 

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