Port Jefferson land purchase presents a new chance to electrify LIRR trains

The effort to electrify eastern Long Island Rail Road tracks has been mired in delays and setbacks for decades. But now, electrification of branches that have long depended on unreliable and environmentally unfriendly diesel engines has an opportunity to move forward.

Suffolk County, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Suffolk County Landbank, a nonprofit focused on rehabbing distressed properties, have come to a purchase sale agreement for use of the long-troubled Lawrence Aviation Industries site. Located in Port Jefferson Station on the south side of the Long Island Rail Road tracks and west of the current LIRR station, the 126-acre Superfund site was once home to the aircraft parts manufacturer that closed in 2003. Labeled a toxic site in 2000, the land was in limbo until a 2023 federal settlement to address the property’s unpaid taxes and environmental hazards.

The tentative purchase agreement signed late last year would divide the land into thirds, with portions allocated for the MTA, a solar farm developer and open space. The MTA plans to build a rail yard, providing the storage and capacity needed to allow faster, cleaner and more reliable electric trains to run all the way to Port Jefferson. Eventually, the Port Jefferson LIRR station could move to the Lawrence Aviation site, too.

The agreement marks an enormous step in Suffolk County’s long-running effort to convince the MTA to electrify its eastern LIRR branches, and is a welcome demonstration of what hopefully is the MTA’s continued commitment to that goal.

Still, it’s not a done deal. Contingencies remain — like diverting a greenway trail that requires state Department of Transportation approval. A quick resolution is needed so the rail yard can be included in the next MTA capital plan to be finalized later this year. Also necessary: The state Department of Environmental Conservation must remove existing structures and finalize the site’s cleanup, so the federal Environmental Protection Agency can lift the site’s Superfund designation. That’s especially important as federal solar tax credits expire at the end of this year and require an EPA signoff.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine prioritized the property’s development when he headed the Town of Brookhaven. He must maintain that urgency now. He can start by choosing an MTA board representative who will push for electrification. That would complement and bolster MTA board member Sammy Chu, who has trumpeted electrification while representing Suffolk and who can continue to do so as he transitions to representing Gov. Kathy Hochul on the board.

Electrification would be game-changing for eastern Long Island, where service is severely limited and communities cannot realize the full benefits of Grand Central Madison terminal. Electrifying the Port Jefferson branch is complicated and expensive. Yet, as new energy and battery technologies emerge, the hope remains that state, local and MTA officials will find a way to make electrification a reality.

The Lawrence Aviation agreement puts them on the right track.