LIRR prepares for ridership surge on the South Fork this summer

The Long Island Rail Road is adding a second temporary platform at Hampton Bays and making several other improvements to its Montauk Branch as it preps for a busy summer surge on the South Fork.

The temporary platform, on the station's southern side, will allow two trains to simultaneously unload passengers, according to Southampton Town and state officials. That could help trains run more often on the South Fork and provide a boost for visitors, residents and commuters, they said.

“We don't have any dual platform stations on the East End, so this is really the first one,” Southampton Councilman Tom Neely said in an interview. ”They have said it's a temporary one, but temporary could still be there for a long time while they work on long-term improvements.”

Summer brings an influx of tourists, weekend visitors, seasonal residents and employees, worsening already congested roads. Train service increases substantially during the summer, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the railroad.

The second platform will provide “operational flexibility" on the Montauk Branch, especially on busy weekends, according to the MTA. The first four-car lengths of the platform are expected to be completed by Memorial Day, with another two-car lengths before the start of the U.S. Open Golf Championship in mid-June. The tournament this year is being hosted at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton.

The LIRR is expecting a surge in ridership on the line during the tournament. In 2018, when the event was last held there, spectators using the Montauk Branch filled parking lots at two high-volume LIRR stations west of the South Fork to capacity. Railroad use has helped relieve traffic congestion on roadways, local officials said at the time.

A temporary platform will be installed at Stony Brook University's Southampton campus. Riders can walk from there to the golf course. A temporary bridge will also be built over County Road 39 so pedestrians can walk to the course without disrupting traffic. The platform and bridge will be taken down after the tournament, the MTA said.

While currently deemed “temporary,” local officials are hopeful the additional Hampton Bays platform could become permanent and boost the South Fork Commuter Connection, the coordinated rail and shuttle bus system that brings riders from Speonk and Montauk to job centers in East Hampton and Southampton towns.

The SFCC was created in 2019 to alleviate traffic by taking eastbound morning commuters off heavily congested roads. While the program has hundreds of riders, it is also constrained by the limited service, Neely said. Shuttle service runs only on weekdays, four times a day — twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon.

“We're trying to get more people on trains, and in order for that to happen, we need to increase service," Assemb. Tommy John Schiavoni (D-Sag Harbor) said in an interview.

Another construction project is underway to extend the siding at the Southampton station, near North Main Street, by approximately 80 feet. A siding is a section of track that allows trains to move off the main line. That will make it easier for the railroad to stage trains, manage movements and reduce delays, Schiavoni said.

In addition, the MTA plans to replace three damaged roadway bridges this year across tracks on the line, in Amagansett, Sagaponack and Eastport. The bridges in Eastport and Amagansett can no longer hold the minimum weight limit of three tons and have been closed for some time, according to the MTA.