Pols, Local Leaders Want Port Jefferson LIRR Line Electrified

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — The Port Jefferson Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) line is not electrified beyond Huntington, and local leaders are hoping that will change soon. On Tuesday morning, politicians and other officials held a press conference at the Stony Brook LIRR station, calling for New York State and the MTA to fund the line's modernization.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine outlined a plan to ask for infrastructure funding for the project. Local civic groups were also in attendance, like leaders of the Setauket Harbor Task Force, the Three Village Civic Association, along with a representative of Stony Brook University, which utilizes the LIRR line to connect students and visitors to New York City.

The tracks currently use dual-mode locomotives that switch from electric to diesel, and according to Supervisor Romaine's office, they are slower and worse for the environment. In 2016, the LIRR and MTA estimated that electrifying the line from Huntington to Port Jefferson would cost around $414 million.

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