Project aims to boost capacity on LIRR line to Port Washington

A $155 million project that aims to increase the number of trains the LIRR can operate on its Port Washington line is getting underway, officials said Monday.

Long Island Rail Road president Rob Free said at a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s railroad committee Wednesday that design work has begun on an effort to modernize the Port Washington station, while also extending two nearby yard tracks to allow the railroad to store and operate more trains on the branch.

Free noted the upgrades were initially planned as part of the MTA’s East Side Access project, which culminated in the opening of Grand Central Madison in 2023. But the effort received pushback from Port Washington elected officials and residents, in part because it entailed reducing parking spots at Port Washington station.

Town officials reconsidered their stance after residents complained of insufficient direct service to Penn or Grand Central. Because the Port Washington branch is the only LIRR line that isn’t routed through Jamaica, its riders have fewer options for transfers than those on other lines.

In a statement, the MTA said extending the tracks will give the railroad "greater flexibility to store longer trains" at the Port Washington terminal yard.

Other upgrades include the replacement of station platforms, sidewalks, curbs, parking areas and the station building roof, and other architectural improvements.

The LIRR also on Monday announced plans to roll out new panoramic security cameras — each of which will do the work of several older cameras at a fraction of the cost.

The new cameras provide "360-degree surveillance, replacing multiple traditional cameras with a single unit," the MTA said. At one station alone, the switch to the new cameras saved the railroad $51,000, while also reducing blind spots, the MTA said.

The cameras will include new analytical capabilities, including the ability to detect unattended packages at stations.

"Modern cameras are crucial to our coordination with law enforcement," MTA chief security officer Michael Kemper said in a statement. "By replacing multiple units with one camera, we can speed up investigations and better deploy our resources."

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.