As the “Summer of Hell” dawns on Long Island commuters, New York State senators are debating a bill that will give $2 billion in funds to upgrade the Long Island Railroad. This project includes expanding to have a third track on the Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville. But NYS senators aren’t making it easy.
Led by Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-2), whose district encompasses Smithtown and several surrounding towns, Republicans in the Senate are holding back on the vote to allow the money through.
Senators Elaine Phillips and Kemp Hannon are some of the lawmakers behind the resistance, joined by Kenneth LaValle and Carl Marcellino, each having their own reasons for dissenting. The proposal was pulled by Flanagan, saying that it will allow the MTA, who brought the proposal forward, to perfect it.
“Given the derailments and service disruptions that have jeopardized rider safety and paralyzed the region’s mobility, the withdrawal of this proposed amendment will provide the MTA…with the opportunity to develop a comprehensive solution to the ongoing commuter crisis,” he said in a statement last week. “I look forward to reviewing the MTA’s forthcoming plan and working together to return our region’s mass transportation system to a state of good repair.”
Although the proposed third track would run through Nassau County, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone issued a statement on Thursday urging Republican senators to stop preventing the project from happening and praised Governor Cuomo for moving it forward.
He said in a statement:
“Third Track is essential to the future of Long Island and Senate Republicans must stop blocking it. Only on Long Island, with LIRR commuters paying the price this summer for a lack of investment in Penn Station, would we be considering rejecting billions of dollars to modernize our LIRR infrastructure. Governor Cuomo has demonstrated real leadership by moving this project forward with a collaborative approach that addresses the concerns of all our local villages. Third Track will provide relief for LIRR commuters, spur economic growth, create good paying jobs and help bring young people back to our region. It is time to put the politics aside and move forward with the Third Track.”
Newsday’s editorial board penned a piece on their dissatisfaction with the politics that have taken over the proposed LIRR project.
“There will be no other way to describe the disastrous consequences if almost $2 billion in funding to improve Long Island Rail Road service is lost because of the reckless and self-interested politics of most of our state senators,” they wrote.
The “summer of hell” is a reference to the eight weeks of planned renovations in Penn Station by Amtrak in order to improve the popular hub of transportation. Riders can expect steep delays and changes in the LIRR and subway systems.