New "East" Yaphank Station

Hidden with the news of a battery-powered ESA rescue engine, Yaphank news: WebArchive:Newsday

Original Newsday

...
Also at the meeting, Free noted that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in December put a contract out to bid for the construction of a new station in Yaphank.

Bidding opened on Jan. 31 for the “New East Yaphank Station,” as it’s referred to in published MTA documents. The contract, which is estimated to cost between $10 million and $50 million, calls for a two-train car platform, a parking lot with 50 spaces, a platform shelter shed, and a “kiss-and-ride loop for drop-offs.”

The contract would also require the construction of an access roadway linking it to existing roads, and the demolition of the existing Yaphank station, on Yaphank Avenue and Park Street.

The LIRR has said it is looking to move the existing station farther east. Suffolk County and Town of Brookhaven officials have recommended a site just east of the William Floyd Parkway and south of the Long Island Expressway.
...

MACTRAXX:

Yaphank is the first station east of Ronkonkoma, right? Are all the platforms east of Ronk high level?

PS I remember the Holtsville flag stop....

10 to 50 million for a couple slabs of concrete and a parking lot. for 5 people

No Suffolk County cops assigned to HQ in Yaphank use the LIRR. None.

my family was involved with the whole area near the yaphank station. during the 70s my grandparents farm was condemned from the county for expansion> the idea (or lies in my opinion) was to make yaphank the county seat of suffolk moving from riverhead,being that yaphank was centrally located. the yaphank station would bring citizens there for government issues, or visitation to both the suffolk infirmary and minimum security facility. the bridge that is built over the tracks on yaphank ave. was what really ruined the station. the bridge was actually supposed to go over william floyd pkwy on the montauk branch. however politics and $$$ played the role . there claim was that the train was blocking yaphank ave and the highway patrol of the scpd couldnt get to the expressway . the scoot at that time was 1 car and a engine, and the friday night run to greenport was done with. the freight was also in decline. another part of history taken away! but dont blame the riders,blame the poor planning of suffolk county and the LIRR! i submitted many ideas to help the LIRR that fell on dead ears. instead of spending $$$ on a station, bring tourism getting #39 and #1556 back running. making the run from yaphank to greenport. no need for extra track. and you cant go fast in that section of track anyway so the engines could handle it. reopen the manorville station.

There was a really good special on PBS recently that had quick blurb about Yaphank and how people used the station to get to Camp Siegfried during the lead up to World War II and the rise of Hilter. The camp was just north of the current station.

"I you build it ,they will come"(Field of dreams). It is the same train that would leave the Station every THREE hours. That would increase ridership? Pave the parking lot at the present location ,it could handle at least 20-30 cars. The Yaphank station is easy to locate (everybody has a GPS on there phone) and only a 1/4 mile from the Expressway.

The question is will relocating the station make it “walkable” for the developments around the Wm Floyd pky?
Is it solely for the purpose a a mega park and ride multi modal facility?
Is it a necessary to facilitate the proposed extension at BRT?

Otherwise Theres no reason to spends that much.
They need to install modern signals out there and increase the service.
However they need to build it up to handle the freight too. And not clog up the main with either passenger or freight.

It’s a delegate balance of coast vs versatility vs necessities

Heard on the grapevine, there is a proposal to install bi-directional traffic and automatic block signaling between Riverhead and Ronkonkoma by 2030-3035+/-.
These upgrades should accompany a track speed increase back 65 for passengers between the 2 locations with the 20 restriction becoming 15 due to cab signal coding and the crossing gates in Riverhead.
It would be interesting to see if between fencing and possibly closing some crossing west of the station, and replacing that under-grade bridge, They may be able to increase. Speed between MP 73 and the Riverhead platform.

This all cost significant money and the railroad knows people would use it if there was hourly scoot service similar to babylon-Patchogue

The bigger concern with passenger trains here is weather or not some of the close Stations should be restored and if they would generate:
1) divert ridership from KO and justify
a minimum 2 car high platform
2) help to achieve a walkable community

Additionally they need to study where these stations need to be to meet both of those goals.

You need to design this in a way that you encourage customers to take advantage of not driving to Ronkonkoma.

With respect to freight:
You can’t ignore it. It’s a very real thing here and very beneficial to the quality of life and safety by keeping as much fright off the streets and highways as possible.

Simply signaling the current layout along helps but it’s just not enough.
A serious consideration should be given to install a siding controlled or uncontrolled at a location where NYAR deems in a necessity to facilitate freight service w/o interference with the increased passenger service.
There’s a lot involved here. Because of the large amount of freight there.

I guess we need to sit back and wait.
Wait to see if it’s done right or screwed up? Has there been any updates
On this?

Between Brookhqven S68.8 on the Montuak and Yahpank On the mainline
The LIRR and Southern Road are as close as 2 miles apart.
The closes the 2 companies got east of Jamaica.
Interesting how the connection wasn’t relocated here and kept in place between MR & PT.
I wonder if it was relocated here if it would still have been removed after the War.

A long siding once existed at Medford. I do not recall when the siding was removed, however. The bridge over Rte. 112 is still a two-tracker. That could again be a location for a controlled siding.