A rendering of the new train station, which would be...

A rendering of the new train station, which would be built on 5.36 acres at the southeast corner of the William Floyd Parkway and Long Island Expressway. Credit: Brookhaven Town

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has acquired property at an industrial park near Long Island Rail Road tracks in East Yaphank, taking a major step forward in plans to relocate the little-used Yaphank train station, officials said.

Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico, citing recent talks with MTA officials, said the new train station would be built on 5.36 acres at the southeast corner of the William Floyd Parkway and Long Island Expressway, on vacant land near warehouses and medical offices.

Yonkers-based developer Rose-Breslin Associates "donated" the land to the MTA last month for a "nominal fee," Rose-Breslin spokesman Brian Ferruggiari said. He declined to cite the amount of the fee.

The MTA confirmed the transaction but offered no additional comment and did not cite the potential cost of the project. The agency confirmed the authenticity of renderings furnished by Panico that show plans for the new station. The drawings show a single train platform and a small, enclosed waiting area for passengers.

Brookhaven officials, who have sought the new station for a decade, say moving the Yaphank stop to a more spacious location will improve service for LIRR commuters, many of whom travel to the Ronkonkoma station 11 miles from Yaphank for more trains and parking.

“Now more than a decade later, it looks like it’s going to come to fruition," Panico said. 

He added that a new Yaphank stop also could appeal to commuters from South Shore areas like Mastic and Shirley and North Shore communities such as Shoreham and Rocky Point. “I think it’s going to be very well-utilized and even more well-utilized in the future,” he said.

Then-Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in 2015 had pitched building the new train station at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, a mile north of the East Yaphank site. That idea was scuttled in 2021 when Bellone and Brookhaven officials agreed to pursue the East Yaphank location.

The Yaphank station is on the Ronkonkoma branch and located about a half-mile south of LIE Exit 67, about a mile west of the East Yaphank site. 

The stop, on Hubbard Road beneath a Yaphank Avenue overpass, has limited parking in a gravel lot with unmarked stalls. The daily schedule on weekdays includes only five westbound trains and four eastbound trains. 

Ronkonkoma has more than 20 eastbound and westbound trains daily and parking for thousands of cars.

Ridership at the Yaphank station last year totaled 4,365, including 3,710 on weekdays and 655 on weekends, or 15 riders a day on weekdays and six a day on weekends, MTA spokesman David Steckel said.

Dan Bartsch, 43, of Bellerose, was the only passenger to disembark in Yaphank from a Greenport-bound train at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday. He said he normally goes to the Ronkonkoma station when visiting family in Suffolk County.

"This station doesn't have many pickups or stops," he said, adding he would consider using the new Yaphank station when it opens. "Whatever gets me there the fastest."

The East Yaphank site is on Precision Drive within Rose-Breslin's 48-acre industrial park, which includes warehouses for the Uncle Wally's baked goods and Tate's Bake Shop franchises, Ferruggiari said. 

Panico said plans call for a single elevated platform for both eastbound and westbound trains, parking for about 50 vehicles, a bus loop and a “kiss and ride” passenger drop-off.

The tracks will not be electrified, Panico said. Electrification on the Ronkonkoma line ends at the Ronkonkoma station.

Yaphank Civic Association president Chad Trusnovec said group members were "still learning the pros and the cons" for moving the Yaphank station, adding the new location could be a problem for some residents.

“It’s not Yaphank over there. It's Shirley or East Yaphank," he said. "We’re trying to figure out what they’re going to call it.”

But Trusnovec said the East Yaphank site would be "much, much more accessible,” adding the current location is "very difficult to get to" and hard to find.

"A lot of people don’t even know that it’s there,” he said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has acquired property at an industrial park near Long Island Rail Road tracks in East Yaphank, taking a major step forward in plans to relocate the little-used Yaphank train station, officials said.

Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico, citing recent talks with MTA officials, said the new train station would be built on 5.36 acres at the southeast corner of the William Floyd Parkway and Long Island Expressway, on vacant land near warehouses and medical offices.

Yonkers-based developer Rose-Breslin Associates "donated" the land to the MTA last month for a "nominal fee," Rose-Breslin spokesman Brian Ferruggiari said. He declined to cite the amount of the fee.

The MTA confirmed the transaction but offered no additional comment and did not cite the potential cost of the project. The agency confirmed the authenticity of renderings furnished by Panico that show plans for the new station. The drawings show a single train platform and a small, enclosed waiting area for passengers.

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND

  • The MTA has acquired a 5.36-acre industrial site near Long Island Rail Road tracks in East Yaphank, a step forward in plans to relocate the little-used Yaphank train station.
  • Officials and residents say the current station off Yaphank Road is hard to find and many prefer the larger Ronkonkoma station.
  • Plans for the new LIRR station call for a single elevated platform for both eastbound and westbound trains, parking for about 50 vehicles and a bus loop.  

Brookhaven officials, who have sought the new station for a decade, say moving the Yaphank stop to a more spacious location will improve service for LIRR commuters, many of whom travel to the Ronkonkoma station 11 miles from Yaphank for more trains and parking.

“Now more than a decade later, it looks like it’s going to come to fruition," Panico said. 

He added that a new Yaphank stop also could appeal to commuters from South Shore areas like Mastic and Shirley and North Shore communities such as Shoreham and Rocky Point. “I think it’s going to be very well-utilized and even more well-utilized in the future,” he said.

Then-Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in 2015 had pitched building the new train station at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, a mile north of the East Yaphank site. That idea was scuttled in 2021 when Bellone and Brookhaven officials agreed to pursue the East Yaphank location.

Little-used Yaphank station

The Yaphank station is on the Ronkonkoma branch and located about a half-mile south of LIE Exit 67, about a mile west of the East Yaphank site. 

The stop, on Hubbard Road beneath a Yaphank Avenue overpass, has limited parking in a gravel lot with unmarked stalls. The daily schedule on weekdays includes only five westbound trains and four eastbound trains. 

Ronkonkoma has more than 20 eastbound and westbound trains daily and parking for thousands of cars.

Ridership at the Yaphank station last year totaled 4,365, including 3,710 on weekdays and 655 on weekends, or 15 riders a day on weekdays and six a day on weekends, MTA spokesman David Steckel said.

Dan Bartsch, 43, of Bellerose, was the only passenger to disembark in Yaphank from a Greenport-bound train at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday. He said he normally goes to the Ronkonkoma station when visiting family in Suffolk County.

"This station doesn't have many pickups or stops," he said, adding he would consider using the new Yaphank station when it opens. "Whatever gets me there the fastest."

Plans for new site

The East Yaphank site is on Precision Drive within Rose-Breslin's 48-acre industrial park, which includes warehouses for the Uncle Wally's baked goods and Tate's Bake Shop franchises, Ferruggiari said. 

Panico said plans call for a single elevated platform for both eastbound and westbound trains, parking for about 50 vehicles, a bus loop and a “kiss and ride” passenger drop-off.

The tracks will not be electrified, Panico said. Electrification on the Ronkonkoma line ends at the Ronkonkoma station.

Yaphank Civic Association president Chad Trusnovec said group members were "still learning the pros and the cons" for moving the Yaphank station, adding the new location could be a problem for some residents.

“It’s not Yaphank over there. It's Shirley or East Yaphank," he said. "We’re trying to figure out what they’re going to call it.”

But Trusnovec said the East Yaphank site would be "much, much more accessible,” adding the current location is "very difficult to get to" and hard to find.

"A lot of people don’t even know that it’s there,” he said.

Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon’s Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off."  Credit: Mario Gonzalez

SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Wrestling, North Babylon hoops and more! Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon's Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off." 

Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon’s Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off."  Credit: Mario Gonzalez

SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Wrestling, North Babylon hoops and more! Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon's Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off." 

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