Future Port Jefferson LIRR Electrification Has No Juice

Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2023 State of the State speech and accompanying 275 page book omitted any reference to the proposed $3.6 billion LIRR Port Jefferson electrification project.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s February 7th Public Hearing for potential Federal Transit Administration funding of their 2023 Program of Projects also omits funding to advance this project. The FTA will be providing close to $1.8 billion under various formula and competitive discretionary grant programs in 2023. Here is the link to the MTA February 7th Public Hearing for their upcoming 2023 Program of Projects.https://new.mta.info/ document/103001. By not including this project in the February 7th Public Hearing, is it the MTA’s intent to continue delaying consideration for electrification?

What ever happened to the MTA planning feasibility study funded under the prior $32 billion 20152019 Capital Plan to look into the feasibility of electrification?

Additional funding to advance the project beyond the planning study is not included in the MTA current $51 billion 2020 - 2024 Five

Penner Station

Year Capital Plan. The next step would be finding several million to pay for a federal National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) review. This is necessary to preserve future eligibility for FTA funding. The most obvious source of funding from Washington would be requesting permission from the FTA to enter its national competitive discretionary Capital Investment Grant (CIG) New Starts Core Capacity Program. Has the MTA asked this of the FTA? Will this project be included in the next FTA CIG report submitted to Congress by March 2023 for federal fiscal year 2024?

We will not know if the project is included in the proposed MTA 2025 - 2044 Twenty Year Capital Needs Assessment Plan until it is released in October 2023. Port Jefferson electrification is competing against twenty other system expansion and enhancement projects that the MTA is considering.

Electrification of the Port Jefferson branch has been advocated since the 1960s by generations of elected officials with no success. In 1970, electrification was extended from Mineola to Huntington. In the 1980s, discussions took place between the MTA, LIRR, Suffolk County and many elected officials over which branch should be electrified first. The Ronkonkoma branch was selected over the Port Jefferson branch.

Without electrification east of Huntington, Port Jefferson branch riders will not have a one seat ride to Grand Central Madison via the $12.6 billion East Side Access project. There is insufficient height clearance to accommodate duel mode locomotives in the 63rd Street tunnel needed for access to Grand Central Madison.

A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT FOR LONG ISLAND

Sands, the world leader in developing integrated resorts, is proposing a multi-billion-dollar investment at the current site of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. This groundbreaking, world-class hospitality and entertainment project will be transformational for the Long Island economy, creating thousands of quality union jobs and generating millions of dollars in tax revenue.

A Historic Opportunity For Long Island Businesses

Sands is committed to developing long-term partnerships with local businesses. For Long Island-based manufacturers, distributors, wholesale suppliers and other companies servicing the hospitality and entertainment industries, the Sands project will be an unprecedented opportunity to grow your business and be part of what will surely become an iconic centerpiece of the Long Island landscape.

Thousands of daily LIRR riders from diesel territory will still have to change at Jamaica for travel to Grand Central Madison or Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn.

Future opportunity for funding to progress this project beyond a planning study will be under upcoming MTA 2025 - 2029, 2030 - 2034 and 2035 -2039 Five Year Capital Plans. The estimated cost today is $3.6 billion, and will continue to grow over time. This is necessary to pay for design and engineering, environmental review, land acquisition for construction of power sub stations, expansion of commuter parking, potential relocation and/or consolidation of existing stations, new stations and platforms, new electric Multiple Unit car storage yard, new track, third rail and signals. From start to finish could require fifteen to twenty years. before electrification of the Port Jefferson branch is completed. —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