MTA, Suffolk close deal to transform part of Lawrence Aviation site into rail yard

The MTA and Suffolk County closed a deal Wednesday to transform 46 acres of the former Lawrence Aviation property in Port Jefferson Station into a Long Island Rail Road train yard — a critical first step toward the potential electrification of the Port Jefferson line.

After years of delays and uncertainty, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority formally purchased the property from the Suffolk County Landbank — the county’s development arm — for $10. The deal was finalized three months after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation to preserve a portion of the 126-acre former state and federal Superfund site as open space, while also vowing to advance plans for the Long Island Rail Road to acquire part of the property, at 100 Sheep Pasture Rd., into a rail yard.

"Today, we deliver on that commitment by securing this property and ensuring that the Port Jefferson community has this beloved greenway permanently preserved while also allowing the MTA to plan for long-term upgrades to LIRR service for tens of thousands of riders," Hochul said in a statement.

Lawrence Aviation, a former aircraft parts manufacturing plant, closed in 2003, leaving a mile-long toxic plume and necessitating a $48.1 million cleanup that was completed last year.

In 2023, the MTA entered into a tentative agreement to acquire part of the property, but the deal was repeatedly held up, including over the MTA’s concerns that the state could one day move ahead with a dormant plan to reroute Route 25A through the property.

"This has been years in the making," said Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine. "Lawrence Aviation burdened this community for decades. ... We are turning a long-standing liability into transportation investment, renewable energy and productive public use."

A rail yard has long been seen as a necessary component to improving service on the Port Jefferson line — one of the railroad’s busiest branches, but also one hamstrung by operating on a single, unelectrified track. Port Jefferson commuters rely on diesel trains, which are fewer in number and less reliable than the LIRR’s electric fleet, and typically have to transfer trains to complete trips to and from New York City.

Hochul’s office, in a statement, noted that "there are no current plans or funding for the type of Port Jefferson Branch improvements that would require a rail yard at the site."

But LIRR President Rob Free said the acquisition of the property provides the "the flexibility to plan for the railroad’s expansion and modernization opportunities."

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.