By Bill Parry
The Long Island Rail Road is taking steps to return service to Elmhurst for the first time in nearly 30 years.
When the MTA released its new Capital Program last week, $40 million was budgeted for a new railway station to replace the one that stood on Broadway between Cornish and Whitney avenues.
U.S. Reps. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Grace Meng (D-Flushing) as well as Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) launched a campaign in 2012 to bring back rail service to the community.
“Restoring LIRR service to Elmhurst will help a burgeoning neighborhood reach its full economic potential and become a destination for all New Yorkers,” they said in a joint statement. “We are thrilled to learn that the MTA agrees that investing in this community is a win-win and that they have included funding to rebuild the station in their recently proposed capital budget. For years, Elmhurst residents have called for greater transportation options and we are now one step closer to turning this idea into a reality. We will continue to work with MTA officials to ensure this project remains a top priority and look forward to the day when Elmhurst will be the next stop for millions of New Yorkers.”
The original station site, which is on the LIRR’s Port Washington line, was shuttered in 1985 due to a reported decrease in ridership following significant changes to train schedules that made the station unattractive to commuters. Since the closure, Elmhurst’s growing population has suffered from a lack of efficient public transit into Manhattan.
“Elmhurst is the fastest growing neighborhood in my district,” Dromm said. “This is a very good step in the right direction. In Elmhurst people need new transportation alternatives to help them get to work and it would likely draw more business, and more jobs, to the community.”
He pointed out that an LIRR station in Elmhurst would help deliver shoppers and workers to the nearby Queens Center Mall and provide a valuable transportation link for Elmhurst Hospital Center.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
