Travelers heading to Northeast cities may be able to start their nonstop trip from Long Island instead of Penn Station.
As part of a deal brokered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo between the Amtrak and MTA to construct four new Metro-North stations on the Amtrak’s northeast corridor, the MTA agreed to jointly conduct a study for Amtrak to extend service to Long Island.
A statement released by the governor said both rail authorities will study “the feasibility of Amtrak running several trains daily from Long Island to Penn Station and continuing either north to Boston or south to Washington.”
Currently, Amtrak’s only presence on the island is in Sunnyside Yard, Queens, where train cars are cleaned and maintained.
They should use these new trains to add service, not duplicate what already is there. Additional service is needed to Chicago, to northeastern Pennsylvania, other places.