MTA eyes more LIRR improvements in Suffolk as new Yaphank station opens

For just one day, Long Island Rail Road riders could have boarded a train at two different Yaphank stations Friday, as the LIRR kicked off service at a newly built facility that Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials say is just one of many planned investments in Suffolk County.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Friday, a diesel-powered train picked up passengers for the first time at the Long Island Rail Road’s $20 million Yaphank-BNL station, before chugging to the original Yaphank Station about 3 miles east. Full service at the new station, located just south of the Long Island Expressway near Exit 68, will commence Saturday, and service will be discontinued at the original, 142-year-old Yaphank station.

With the more conveniently located station complete, about 3.5 miles south of Brookhaven National Laboratory, MTA officials said they now turn their attention to other upgrades to improve the commuting experience east of Ronkonkoma. MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said the MTA has begun studying the possibility of adding a second track between Ronkokoma and Riverhead and further electrifying the branch. Lieber said he expects preliminary findings from the study to be released early next year.

Because the LIRR’s Main Line is only electrified as far as Ronkonkoma, service east of that station is limited to less-reliable diesel locomotives, which typically means customers traveling into and out of New York City have to transfer.

Electrifying more of the LIRR system in Suffolk "would mean faster trains, more frequent service and, obviously, an additional level of convenience," Lieber said.

LIRR President Rob Free said building the new Yaphank-BNL station, and one day modernizing track infrastructure leading to it could "provide a relief valve for Ronkonkoma" — Suffolk’s most heavily used station.

The MTA has other plans to upgrade its network in Suffolk County, including eliminating five grade crossings between Wyandanch and Ronkonkoma. Those upgrades, which are being funded in part by federal grants, coincide with Amtrak’s plans to expand its intercity rail service as far as Ronkonkoma, potentially over the next decade.

Lieber said the MTA’s upgrades have nothing to do with Amtrak’s plans, but rather "supporting Suffolk County’s expansion, housing growth and meeting the needs of a burgeoning region."

County Executive Edward P. Romaine — a frequent critic of the MTA — said Suffolk has been "neglected for so long" when it comes to public transportation upgrades. "So, when I see this investment, I am so happy," he said.

Lieber on Friday also confirmed that another key effort toward expanding LIRR service in Suffolk County is moving ahead — the embattled plan to build a rail yard on the former Lawrence Aviation property in Port Jefferson.

In 2023, the MTA struck a tentative agreement with the county to purchase 40 acres of the property for $10, but the deal has been marred by uncertainty, largely because of the MTA’s concerns about the State Department of Transportation maintaining a claim to a portion of the land.

After Gov. Hochul earlier this month signed a bill guaranteeing that a road could not be built over the property, she and Romaine expressed confidence that the MTA deal could soon be closed.

"We needed to work out some of the details," Lieber said. "I think that those have been put to rest, and that transaction is underway."