Clicky

Amtrak: Too soon to set date for ‘potential’ Ronkonkoma service

|

Amtrak officials have responded to a Greater Long Island report this week indicating Amtrak could start running trains into Ronkonkoma station as soon as next year.

(The report has since been amended.)

But a feasibility study on running Amtrak trains to Long Island is underway, officials said.

“Amtrak is working in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and MTA Long Island Rail Road to study the extension of Amtrak’s Northeast Regional service to Ronkonkoma,” reads a statement from Amtrak, also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, which serves as the country’s only intercity passenger railroad.

“The first step of this multi-step process, the Service Development Plan (SDP), will begin this year,” the statement reads. “Once the SDP is complete, we will have a better understanding of the feasibility, costs, and timeline for potential implementation.”

All that said, it’s way too soon to set a timeline for if and when Amtrak trains might arrive on Long Island.

“It is too soon to set a service start date, but expansion of Northeast Regional service is dependent on delivery of Amtrak’s new Airo trainsets, which will be available towards the end of this decade,” the statement reads.

The Airo sets, according to Amtrak, “will provide improved passengers amenities, including modern comfortable seating, spacious restrooms and a contemporary food service experience, among other improvements to better serve all Amtrak customers.”

An Amtrak spokesperson confirmed to GLI that the trains will stop in Hicksville and Jamaica before arriving in Manhattan, where they will connect to the Northeast Corridor — Amtrak’s primary 457-mile rail line running north to Boston and south to Washington, DC.

This all means riders can enjoy a one-seat ride from Long Island without needing to transfer trains at Penn Station, which is the current process for Long Island Rail Road riders using Amtrak.

In our prior report, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said Amtrak was looking to expand strictly to stations that are adjacent to airports, and with Long Island MacArthur Airport sitting across from the Ronkonkoma station, the location fit the bill.

“To them, that’s golden,” Romaine said.

Top: An Amtrak train at Newark Liberty Airport in Newark, N.J. in December 2020. (Credit: Dipanjan Chatterjee)

Prior reporting

Our Local Supporters