LIRR President Catherine Renaldi reminds me of Pinocchio when she said “fans who live east of Belmont now have a one-seat ride to attend Islanders and other events at the UBS Arena” at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the west-bound platform at the new Elmont UBS Arena Station last Friday.
That may be true for Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Huntington and Ronkonkoma branch riders. It does not apply to Babylon, Speonk, West Hempstead, Long Beach and Far Rockaway branch riders.
They will have to change at Jamaica before doubling back east to reach the UBSÂ Arena.
Port Washington branch riders have an additional Woodside transfer. She neglected to mention that the source of funding for the station comes from the Empire State Development Corporation, transferring $105 million from their budget to the MTA.
This financed the new Elmont LIRR Station. The developers put in $30 million upfront and the state $75 million. The developers will make payments, without interest, to reimburse the state over the next 30 years. They end up with an interest-free loan.  So much for truth in advertising!
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office.
