OP-ED: The case for reopening the Old Woodhaven Queens LIRR Station
Why not reopen the still intact underground Woodhaven, Queens Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Station that was closed in 1976? When looking out the window traveling between the Jamaica, Queens and East New York LIRR stations, you can catch a quick view of the old station platform.This station is located on the LIRR Atlantic Branch, which runs from Jamaica to Flatbush Avenue in downtown Brooklyn, N.Y. It would require a minimum amount of work to restore this station. Scope of work would probably have to include repairs to old entrances, stairs, lighting and platform along with signal modifications. Adding elevators to bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for resumption of service might be the most expensive project component.
Nearby Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Ozone Park and other Queens neighborhood residents along with those transferring from bus routes adjacent to the reopened LIRR Woodhaven Station would have new transportation options. Many who have to transfer from New York City Transit (NYCT) local bus to subway could also benefit. In addition to transfer opportunities at LIRR East NY Station for the A, C, J, Z and L subway or at LIRR Nostrand Avenue to the Nostrand Avenue NYC Transit Select Bus, within 15 minutes residents would arrive at the Atlantic Brooklyn LIRR Terminal. They could access the Barclay Arena. Transferring to either the 2,3,4,5,B,D,N,Q or R NYCT subway lines provides access to employment opportunities, colleges, medical facilities, museums and the theater district, be it in downtown Brooklyn, the Wall Street Financial District, eastside, westside and midtown Manhattan depending upon the final destination, between five and 25 minutes more. Reverse commuters traveling east wanting access to jobs, colleges or medical facilities in eastern Queens, Nassau and Suffolk County could transfer in less than 10 minutes at the Jamaica LIRR Station to numerous LIRR lines serving eastern Queens, Nassau and Suffolk County. The Huntington, Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay, Ronkonkoma, Greenport, Hempstead, West Hempstead, Far Rockaway, Long Beach, Babylon and Montauk branches all provide service at Jamaica. Only the Port Washington branch has no direct connections at Jamaica.
Based upon the latest recovery schedule for the $11.2 billion MTA LIRR East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal project, service is promised to begin by the end of December 2022. Once underway, this new LIRR service to Grand Central Terminal will be able to reach the east side of midtown Manhattan within 20 minutes. There are also transfer opportunities to either the E,J and Z subway and numerous bus lines serving various Queens neighborhoods at Jamaica Station.
The MTA previously budgeted $40 million for rebuilding the old Elmhurst LIRR Station on the Port Washington branch. This station closed in January 1985. This proposed project has to recreate a station from scratch as the original elevated platform and stairs were torn down. Since most of the original underground Woodhaven LIRR station still exists, sitting unused for decades, the cost would be less.
Reopening abandoned stations, especially those whose physical structures are still in tact, on existing LIRR branches to serve communities which continue to grow, makes for a great long term investment.
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Larry Penner
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. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for New Jersey Transit, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC Transit bus, subway and Staten Island Railway, Long Island and Metro North railroads, MTA Bus, NYCDOT Staten Island Ferry along with 30 other transit agencies in New York and New Jersey.
