Amtrak has announced plans to expand its passenger rail service into Long Island, proposing a new stop in Queens that could significantly alter intercity travel across the Northeast.
This expansion aims to include three daily round-trip trains operating over both Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) tracks, with proposed stops at Jamaica, Hicksville, and Ronkonkoma.
Amtrak officials express confidence that this new route will cater to a substantial demand from residents of Suffolk, Nassau, and Queens Counties, connecting travelers to southern destinations without necessitating a transfer in Manhattan.
Nicole Bucich, Amtrak’s vice president for network development, stated, “We looked into this quite a bit about what the potential demand would be, and we believe there is a very strong demand of people coming from Suffolk, Nassau and Queens Counties to points south of NYC.”
Currently, Long Islanders primarily rely on the LIRR to reach Amtrak service at Penn Station, but the new routes could mean direct access to major cities along the Northeast Corridor, including Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
“For the first time in over 80 years, Long Island residents would gain another rail travel option,” Bucich said, noting that the travel time from Ronkonkoma to Philadelphia is projected to be around three hours and ten minutes, while the journey to Washington, DC, would take approximately five hours.
Bucich emphasized that these travel times make the proposed service time-competitive with car travel, which she believes is crucial for attracting passengers.
She stated, “It is a one-seat ride that is trip time competitive. That’s really what brings the demand for this service. When we have markets that the train service is competitive with auto travel time, that is the sweet spot of where people are going to want to take the train.”
Long Island, home to approximately 5.4 million residents, would not only benefit from new rail connections to major cities but also gain improved accessibility to airports, with links to JFK International Airport and Islip MacArthur Airport.
Amtrak has concluded the initial phase of a three-step study on this expansion, and transit advocacy groups, such as the Empire State Passengers Association, have expressed support for the proposal.
Steve Strauss, executive director of the organization, voiced optimism regarding the increased accessibility this service would provide to residents: “These trains will provide a one-seat ride for Long Island residents traveling south on the Northeast Corridor. It is also possible that one or more of these trains will continue beyond Washington to Virginia destinations off of the corridor.”
Furthermore, he highlighted the potential popularity of these trains for New Jersey residents seeking easier connections to JFK Airport via the AirTrain service at Jamaica Station.
The proposal progresses at a time when Amtrak is negotiating with the MTA over ongoing East River tunnel repairs that began last month. Amtrak’s planned work requires shutting down one of the tunnels, a point of contention for LIRR officials due to the possible service disruptions it may cause.
Bucich assured that the scheduling of Amtrak’s new trains would be carefully coordinated to avoid conflicts with LIRR peak travel times.
MTA representatives, including spokesperson Aaron Donovan, indicated a willingness to collaborate with Amtrak: “The Long Island Rail Road runs 50 trains to Ronkonkoma with even more going back to NYC every weekday, and we are working with Amtrak on its study.”
Funding for the project will come from the federal government, which will finance Amtrak’s technical analysis of the proposal. Amtrak will contribute a local match, and Bucich mentioned the need to evaluate overall infrastructure costs, the availability of federal funding sources, and local contributions as the project develops.
Next steps include a series of public meetings that will form part of the outreach component of the technical analysis, allowing community members to provide input on the proposal.
As Amtrak moves forward, the expansion into Long Island signals a significant shift in intercity rail viability for the region and the potential to reshape travel patterns in the Northeast.
image source from：https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/amtrak-plans-in-nyc-queens-long-island/
