Governor Kathy Hochul announced the opening of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) new Yaphank-BNL Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station. Relocated from its original site, the new station provides improved access to the Brookhaven National Laboratory and critical regional roadways like the William Floyd Parkway and the Long Island Expressway. Yaphank-BNL is the first new LIRR station opened on the island since the Elmont-UBS Station opened in 2021, and only the second new station in fifty years. Train service began on Saturday, with the first trains departing Yaphank-BNL at 5:36 a.m. to Greenport and 8:02 a.m. to Ronkonkoma.
The opening of the new Yaphank-BNL station comes as the MTA launches a study of potential infrastructure improvements to support more frequent and reliable service on the LIRR Main Line east of Ronkonkoma Station. This portion of the branch currently has only one track and is not electrified, requiring trains to operate using diesel power and run less frequently.
The study will assess opportunities to upgrade signals, communications and other infrastructure; add a second track along all or part of the branch between Ronkonkoma and Riverhead; and electrify a portion of the branch east of Ronkonkoma. Adding a second track would build on the LIRR’s Double Track Project between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma and allow more trains to operate in both directions. Electrification could support faster, more frequent service while reducing reliance on diesel locomotives.
As part of that work, the MTA will evaluate the supporting infrastructure required, including new power substations, and examine the costs and benefits of potential investments. The study is expected to be completed in early 2027, and its findings will help inform future conversations with the public about investment priorities across the LIRR system. This study is funded by the MTA’s historic $68 billion 2025-2029 Capital Plan, which was fully funded by Governor Hochul and the legislature in the FY 2026 Enacted State Budget.
-via Press Release