ELMONT, N.Y. — A new Long Island Rail Road station will be built at Belmont Park as part of a project that will also include a new arena for hockey’s New York Islanders, along with a hotel and shopping center.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced plans on Monday for the station — the first new full-time station for the LIRR since 1976. The New York Arena Partners, developers of the arena and retail complex, will cover $97 million of the estimated $105 million for the station, with public money accounting for the remainder.
The new station, to be located between the existing Queens Village and Bellerose stations, will allow direct service to Belmont Park from Long Island as well as from New York City with trains on the expanding Main Line, soon to be triple tracked for 10 miles in Nassau County.
Currently, the Belmont Park Racetrack is served by a spur that can only provide direct service from New York City to the west of the racetrack. The new station saves Long Island residents a 10-mile detour requiring them to change trains at Jamaica in both directions. It will also provide more commuting options, with service approximately every half hour during peak periods and hourly at other times.
LIRR President Phillip Eng said, “We are delighted by this plan, which allows us to provide full time year-round service to the Elmont community and a second station at the redeveloped Belmont Park, all at no construction cost to the LIRR.”
The new station is projected to help generate nearly $50 million in new public revenue per year and produce $725 million in annual economic output.
Mr Walsh. My thoughts exactly. Based on the artist’s drawing, east bound service will be on the Hempstead branch out of Jamaica, thus Long Island south shore riders will have to change at Jamaica. It appears that westbound service going to be out of Hicksville/Mineola but unless there will be more switch crossovers between “Elmont” and Bellerose how is the north shore rider getting out to Mineola/Hicksville etc?
As pointed out by Mr Walsh, there has always been an east bound Wye coming out of Belmont, only used on Belmont Stakes day to run empty’s into Belmont to bring people back to Jamaica and Penn Station on Belmont Stakes day!
Mr Walsh did you not read the part ” The New York Arena Partners, developers of the arena and retail complex, will cover $97 million of the estimated $105 million for the station,”
This should help both Belmont Park and the new development in the area. Driving to Belmont Park is usually bad due to traffic. I have always preferred the trains to the track. However being a spur line many times trains were delayed entering or leaving. The new station and improved service should encourage more people to take the train.
This station is actually going to be on the main line in Elmont and will serve the new complex as well as being a regular station for the area. I read this as being in addition to the existing Belmont Park station on the stub into the racetrack complex, which i believe will continue to be served.
The only “vacant” land large enough for a new Islanders arena is west of the Floral Park-Bellerose School, and east of the Cross Island Parkway. But most of it is covered by the School’s recreation field, and the North parking field for Belmont Park itself – which is primarily fed by, and to, the Parkway itself. And the area to the south is occupied by Belmont Park.
So where are Islander fans to park, if most of the north parking is eliminated by the arena itself? The South Field (south of Hempstead Avenue) – a good half mile away??
And Belmont fans? The South field isn’t nearly large enough!!
A new LIRR station named Elmont – to be located adjacent to the new arena – places it only a half mile from the Bellerose station; and – with almost no parking – is useful only to Islander fans.
Like the Bellerose station, “Elmont” station will be on the Floral Park-Bellerose village line – and thus of no use to Elmont residents.
Finally, the proponents imply that rail service (from eastern Long Island) to the existing Belmont spur is not possible. In fact, a single track, forming a wye, still connects the Belmont spur with the (eastbound) Hempstead Branch track. Moving a couple of existing crossovers a few hundred feet east would provide westbound access from the main line.
This is another harebrained, cost ineffective, NYS project.