Elmont
Elmont station
General information
LocationSuperior Road
Elmont, New York
Coordinates40°43′12″N 73°43′34″W / 40.720007°N 73.726182°W / 40.720007; -73.726182
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Main Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks4
ConnectionsBus transport New York City Bus: Q2, Q36
Bus transport MTA Bus: Q110
Bus transport Nassau Inter-County Express: n1, n6, n24
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone4
History
Opened
  • November 20, 2021 (eastbound service, event days only)
  • October 6, 2022 (westbound service)[1]
Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station
Queens Village
toward Penn Station, Grand Central or Atlantic Terminal
 Hempstead Branch Bellerose
toward Hempstead
Jamaica
toward Penn Station, Grand Central or Long Island City
 Port Jefferson Branch
limited service
 New Hyde Park
toward Port Jefferson
Jamaica
toward Penn Station or Grand Central
 Ronkonkoma Branch
limited service
 Mineola
toward Greenport
     Oyster Bay Branch does not stop here
     Montauk Branch does not stop here

Elmont, also referred to as Elmont–UBS Arena, is a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City borough of Queens. It serves the LIRR Main Line and is being developed as part of the redevelopment of Belmont Park, which includes the new UBS Arena for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. The station opened for eastbound service in November 2021 and westbound service in October 2022.

History

Construction of the station in July 2021.

Plans for the station were first announced in July 2019 by then-New York governor Andrew Cuomo. New York Arena Partners, the main party behind the Belmont Park redevelopment, will pay $97 million of the estimated $105 million cost, with the balance being paid by the state.[2][3] The eastbound platform opened on November 20, 2021. The westbound platform is set to open in late 2022.[4] When completed, it will be the first completely new LIRR station since 1976, when the now-dismantled Southampton Campus station opened.[3] It currently is served by eastbound Hempstead Branch trains on event days only; full-time service is expected to begin after the westbound platform is completed in 2022.[4][5][6]

The project is seen as vital to the Belmont Park redevelopment.[7] Though the Elmont station will serve a portion of Elmont that does not currently have full-time train service, opponents of UBS Arena have claimed that the station plans conceal the real motivation behind building the arena.[8]

The LIRR anticipates that the new Elmont station would not be expected to generate new commuter ridership but would instead result in a shift of existing riders living in Bellerose Terrace and Elmont that currently use other stations. With the operation of the Elmont station, existing levels of commuter service would be maintained to other LIRR stations (e.g., Queens Village, Bellerose, Floral Park) and the addition of the Elmont station would not be anticipated to result in an impact to commuter service.[9]

On November 20, 2021, the eastbound platform opened for the Islanders' first game at UBS Arena that night.[10][11] While construction of the westbound platform continued, customers were required to use free shuttle buses or walk to UBS Arena or Belmont Park station until the westbound platform opened the following year.[12][13] The westbound platform officially opened on October 6, 2022, for the Islanders–Devils preseason game that night.[14][15]

On February 8, 2023, the LIRR announced that Elmont station would be served by trains from the Ronkonkoma Branch and Port Jefferson Branch as far as Huntington, with limited service during peak hours and most trains stopping during weekday evening or weekend hours.[16][17]

Station layout

Platform
level		 Platform A, side platform Disabled access
Track 3 ←      Hempstead Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Queens Village)
Track 1 ←      Main Line services do not stop here →
Track 2 ←      Main Line services do not stop here →
Track 4      Hempstead Branch toward Hempstead (Bellerose) →
Platform B, side platform Disabled access
G Ground level Exit/entrance and buses

This station has two 12-car-long side platforms, both of which are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Unlike the Belmont Park station directly to the south, it is able to serve Main Line trains from both the west and east. The station also includes platform canopies, LED signs, benches, USB charging ports, bike racks, and art.

The station is located directly east of (and partially over) the overpass across the Cross Island Parkway.[4] The location of the station gives platform access on the Bellerose Terrace side via an overpass.

References

  1. ↑ "Governor Hochul Announces Start of Two-Way Event Day Service at LIRR Elmont-UBS Arena Station". Governor's Press Office. October 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ "New Full-Time LIRR Station Planned Near Belmont Park". CBS New York. July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Islanders arena project at Belmont Park now includes new LIRR station". Newsday. July 8, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "LIRR Elmont station projected to be ready in 2022". Newsday. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  5. ↑ Traverso, Robert (November 28, 2021). "New Elmont LIRR station opens". Long Island Herald. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  6. ↑ Castillo, Alfonso A. (November 15, 2021). "LIRR Elmont station to be served by Hempstead branch trains at all times". Newsday. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  7. ↑ Reyes, Ronny (July 8, 2019). "State announces plans for full-time Elmont LIRR station". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  8. ↑ Hogan, Bernadette; Calder, Rich (July 8, 2019). "Cuomo promises new railroad station at Belmont Park". New York Post. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Belmont Park Redevelopment Civic and Land Use Improvement Project Final Environmental Impact Statement" (PDF). Empire State Development Corporation. 2019. p. S-42.
  10. ↑ Lavacca, Katherine (November 16, 2021). "1st new LIRR station in 50 years opening just in time for Islanders homecoming at UBS Arena". ABC7 New York. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  11. ↑ Parry, Bill (November 18, 2021). "New LIRR station opens near Belmont Park in time for Islanders' first home game at UBS Arena". QNS.com. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  12. ↑ Traverso, Robert (October 8, 2021). "Elmont LIRR station opening for partial service next month". Long Island Herald. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  13. ↑ "LIRR Elmont station projected to be ready in 2022". Newsday. November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ Schnapp, Howard (October 6, 2022). "Bi-directional service is coming to the Elmont UBS Arena LIRR station". Newsday. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  15. ↑ Ingram, Molly (October 7, 2022). "Long Island Rail Road's Elmont-UBS Arena Station is open for game day transportation". WSHU. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Changes to LIRR Ronkonkoma Branch service in 2023". February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Changes to LIRR Port Jefferson Branch service in 2023". February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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