Port Jefferson Branch Electrification (Lawrence Aviation Site and Yard

https://patch.com/new-york/patchogue/s/ ... aign=alert

A decision was reached with regards to the Lawrence Aviation site and part of that is a $48 million dollar settlement. Some of this money will be dedicated towards the LIRR. "
Suffolk has floated plans for a solar panel project, as well as designating a portion of the funds to help with the electrification of the Long Island Rail Road, The Port Times Record reported in June [2022]."

https://tbrnewsmedia.com/suffolk-county ... -property/ The site is being eyed for upgrades to the port Jefferson Rail Branch in anticipation of electrification and increased service.

Lawrence Aviation site approved: $Newsday

MTA in tentative agreement to buy Lawrence Aviation site in Port Jeff Station; solar farm, open space also planned

The MTA has reached a tentative deal to acquire 40 acres at the former Lawrence Aviation Industries site in Port Jefferson Station with the goal to transform it into an LIRR rail yard, the transit authority’s chairman and Suffolk County officials said.

The creation of a yard there has long been considered a necessary step toward the potential electrification of the reliability-challenged Port Jefferson line.

County officials confirmed on Friday that the nonprofit Suffolk County Landbank Corp. entered into a contract on Dec. 28 to sell 40 acres of the property to the MTA for $10. The transaction is part of a larger redevelopment that would include a 36-acre solar farm and 44 acres of open space for the Town of Brookhaven, officials said.
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Why wouldn't they install 40 acres of solar panels above the rail yard and do something more productive with the other 36 acres?

andegold wrote: ↑Sun Jan 28, 2024 12:21 pm Why wouldn't they install 40 acres of solar panels above the rail yard and do something more productive with the other 36 acres?

Likely because the cost of supports to maintain vertical clearance, horizontal clearance, and cabling could easily double or likely more the cost of the solar installation rendering it uneconomic and impractical.

Further reading on Newsday indicates that they are trying to get the deal done before the MTA does their next 5 year capital budget and that it is the first major step needed towards expanding service on the PJ line, with the ultimate goal of electrification.

"Under the plan, a private solar energy developer would pay $5 million, and the county and Town of Brookhaven would contribute a total of $2.5 million, Landbank officials said. The money would be divided among the property's various creditors.

In a statement, Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine said the “transformative project has been in the works for many years, and it is incredibly gratifying to see the partnership between the federal, state and local officials, as well as the community lead to this day.”

The plan has not been finalized, and is contingent on the Environmental Protection Agency lifting the Superfund designation by the end of this year, and on the state rerouting an existing greenway trail running through the property, said Suffolk County Legis. James Mazzarella (R-Moriches), a Landbank board member.

Mazzarella said the hope is to get a deal closed in time to include a rail yard development in the MTA's next five-year capital budget, due later this year."

Editorial: $Newsday

Port Jefferson land purchase presents a new chance to electrify LIRR trains
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Suffolk County, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Suffolk County Landbank, a nonprofit focused on rehabbing distressed properties, have come to a purchase sale agreement for use of the long-troubled Lawrence Aviation Industries site. Located in Port Jefferson Station on the south side of the Long Island Rail Road tracks and west of the current LIRR station, the 126-acre Superfund site was once home to the aircraft parts manufacturer that closed in 2003. Labeled a toxic site in 2000, the land was in limbo until a 2023 federal settlement to address the property’s unpaid taxes and environmental hazards.

The tentative purchase agreement signed late last year would divide the land into thirds, with portions allocated for the MTA, a solar farm developer and open space. The MTA plans to build a rail yard, providing the storage and capacity needed to allow faster, cleaner and more reliable electric trains to run all the way to Port Jefferson. Eventually, the Port Jefferson LIRR station could move to the Lawrence Aviation site, too.
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Electrification would be game-changing for eastern Long Island, where service is severely limited and communities cannot realize the full benefits of Grand Central Madison terminal. Electrifying the Port Jefferson branch is complicated and expensive. Yet, as new energy and battery technologies emerge, the hope remains that state, local and MTA officials will find a way to make electrification a reality.
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This is part of the perpetual wish list from Capital that is never ending. Its great job security though!

4/2: I agree with you BUT I have to wonder if there is any NIMBY opposition for a new PJ Branch yard on the
Lawrence Aviation site - I can NOT see local PJ residents against a Superfund site cleanup that would be
necessary...When a "Huntington-Port Jefferson Electrification" Project gets unveiled along with a timeline
(Example: 2 1/2 years June 1985 to December 1987 for the Hicksville-Ronkonkoma Electrification build)
to electrify this 22.4 mile segment (Mile 35 east of Huntington to Mile 57.4 in Port Jefferson) we'll finally
be convinced that this long anticipated LIRR improvement will become a reality...MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:4/2: I agree with you BUT I have to wonder if there is any NIMBY opposition for a new PJ Branch yard on the
Lawrence Aviation site

Looking at the location of Lawrence Aviation in comparison to where the current railyard is now I wonder if perhaps the MTA plans to thwart any opposition to a new railyard by building a new yard at the LA site big enough to accommodate all the electric trains needed for maximum service expansion and -in return- the MTA would relocate the station to the west side of Rte. 25A (with a new setup similar to that of the Port Washington station) and sell the property east of the 25A crossing thereby truncating the end of the line to there. This would eliminate the 25A and Columbia St. grade crossings and the train movements to/from the current yard. And then the town can use the space where the existing yard tracks are for a new park or whatever they want to do with it.

I could definitely see the townspeople getting onboard with a proposal like that.