Idling trains near Sayville home stay on track

When I bought my house in 2008, I was well aware of the Long Island Rail Road passing my backyard. However, things have changed. Now, the trains - including loud diesel engines - sometimes sit directly behind my house for 10 minutes or so. It happens at all hours of the day and the noise is unbearable. I have called the LIRR for over a year. They sent a representative to speak with me and I suggested other places for the trains to idle. Since then, the problem has gotten worse.

- Bill McCarthy, Sayville

IT'S time to get earplugs, Mr. McCarthy. And maybe you should ask Suffolk County for tax relief on your home because of this ongoing problem.

After we relayed your complaint to LIRR officials, the layout of the track behind your property was reviewed to see if there was an alternate location for trains to safely idle. Unfortunately, officials say there isn't.

They say your home is located near a "Y" in the LIRR right-of-way where a double track transitions into a single track just east of your property. Occasionally, an eastbound train needs to idle at the "Y" as it waits for a late westbound train to clear the single track.

"The LIRR has concluded it cannot regularly hold eastbound trains further west without blocking vehicular traffic at several railroad crossings located between the Sayville station and the McCarthy residence," LIRR spokesman Sal Arena wrote in an e-mail.

Residents with LIRR concerns should call the public affairs department during the day at 718-558-8228.