Will The Elmhurst LIRR Station Ever Reopen?
January 1, 2023 marked the 38th Anniversary for closing of the Long Island Rail Road Elmhurst Station. Congress member Grace Meng, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, State Senators Joe Addabbo, Michael Gianaris, Jessica Ramos and State Assembly member Steven Rega recent letter requesting LIRR President Catherine Rinaldi reopen the Elmhurst LIRR Station is nothing new. Generations of previous elected officials have done the same with little results.
Missing from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s February 7th Public Hearing for potential Federal Transit Administration funding of their 2023 Program of Projects was any funding to advance the $40 million reconstruction of the LIRR Elmhurst Station. Reopening the old station closed back in 1985 involved first spending $4 million in 2016 for planning, environmental review, preliminary and final design activities. This would have been followed by initiation of construction in 2018 for $36 million. The new station was anticipated to be opened by the end of 2019. In 2017, the MTA added $3 billion ($1.95 billion for LIRR Main Line Third Track & $700 million for Second Avenue Subway Phase 2) to the $29 billion 2015 – 2019 Five Year Capital Program Plan bringing it up to $32 billion. Buried in this plan amendment was reprogramming $37 million originally allocated to support construction of the new Elmhurst LIRR Station to pay for other project(s). Only $3 million remains for preliminary design and environmental review.
Restoration of $37 million to support final design and engineering along with construction was suppose to have been included within the $51 billion MTA 2020 – 2024 Five Year Capital Plan. this never occurred. Reopening this station would also provide increased access to the MTA’s $12.6 billion LIRR East Side Access to Grand Central Madison promise of a 40% increase in reverse peak service. .
By not including this project in the February 7th Public Hearing, it appears the MTA has no interest in advancing this project. Additional funding to advance the project is not included in the MTA current $51 billion 2020 – 2024 Five Year Capital Plan. It has yet to be determined if the project will be included in the proposed MTA 2025 – 2044 Twenty Year Capital Needs Assessment Plan?. Governor Hochul and the MTA promised to release this document in October 2023. Federal funding is a possible source for advancement of this project. The FTA will be providing over $1.8 billion under various formula and competitive discretionary grant programs in 2023
Riders, transit advocates, taxpayers, and elected officials are still waiting to read the next Twenty Year Capital plan to see if the project is included. .Reopening the old station would provide a new transportation option for thousands of Elmhurst and other nearby residents. It would also benefit Port Washington branch LIRR customers should disruptions in service occur at either Woodside, Penn Station or Grand Central Madison. Riders exiting the Elmhurst LIRR Station could transfer to either the M or R subway lines. There would be a future second transfer opportunity to either the E, F or #7 subway lines one stop away at Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue station.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management.
