Jamaica LIRR Station Set to Receive $65 Million Upgrade

QUEENS, NY — Tens of thousands of New York City commuters can look forward to an overhauled Jamaica Station in the not-too-distant future.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that $64.9 million from the MTA Capital Program will be earmarked for remaking the aging infrastructure of the Long Island Rail Road stop. Improvements include new platforms, glass-enclosed heated waiting areas, WiFi and USB charging stations. The centerpiece of the overhauled station will be a rainbow-colored glass installation designed by artist James Little on the west bridge and stairs to the AirTran.

The changes will also include more tracks, which means trains will be more easily re-routed to and from Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. Shuttle trains will now be able to leave every 7 1/2 minutes between the two stops, according to the MTA.

"More tracks and platforms mean fewer delays. This award for Phase I of the project, which is funded by the Capital Plan, is great news," MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast said in a statement. "It will help speed up what LIRR customers have come to call ‘the Jamaica Crawl,’ introduce new services such as WiFi and USB charging stations, and build on our ongoing commitment to renew, enhance and expand every aspect of the MTA."

The Jamaica station's infrastructure was originally built in 1913. The first phase overhaul announced on Wednesday is scheduled for completion in 2019.

The LIRR is the busiest commuter rail in the country, servicing over 330,000 passengers every weekday with somewhere in the neighborhood of 200,000 coming through the Jamaica station.

How the station looks today:

And the renderings of the new station coming in a few years:

Photo renderings courtesy of MTA