Elmont/Belmont Race Track Station

[R36 Combine Coach]

The Meadowlands Sports Complex has its own rail spur too. No need for a main line station.

[BM6569]

Didn't the original main line expansion proposal call for improvements through here? In hindsight, they could have tied in the wye track if the improvements weren't scaled back

[MNCRR9000]

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday will announce plans to build a new Long Island Rail Road train station to serve the New York Islanders’ proposed new arena at Belmont Park, according to a report from Long Island Business News. The development is not completely unexpected, as there had been rumblings and allusions to the possibility. But this is good news for confidence that the new arena, which is supposed to have groundbreaking this summer, is actually going to happen.

The station itself would help address, though perhaps not fully resolve, some concerns about commuting to the arena via rail. Among those: It’s not like the train drops you off right at the arena.

https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2019/7 ... evelopment

[BM6569]

"The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is also working on improving the switching and other infrastructure to allow for smoother operation of two daily trains to and from the existing Belmont Park LIRR station. Those trains were promised for event days in Empire State Development’s draft environmental impact statement on the arena project. The existing station at Belmont, used on Belmont Stakes day, is only accessible from the west."

https://libn.com/2019/07/03/new-train-s ... mont-park/

Looks like they still plan to use the original station.

It's too bad the original third track plan wasn't still in affect. That would have provided track upgrades through the area where this new station will be built. But they scaled it down so the improvements end at or just before Floral Park. I wonder if Cuomo would try to restart that aspect of the original project and tie it into the Belmont station.

Does anyone recall what the original third track plan called for west of Floral Park? Was there going to be a 4th track added? They changed something with where the Hempstead line branches off.

[vince]

"..............snip.......................... The existing station at Belmont, used on Belmont Stakes day, is only accessible from the west."
........................snip.........................

The East leg of the Belmont Wye is in use and has been used for events at Belmont..
There was an article mentioning staging trains on the Hempstead Branch.

vince

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone:

The LIRR unveiled a rendering for a new Main Line station to serve the Belmont Park Race Track and Arena
that is going to have the name "Elmont". The location is going to be between Queens Village and Bellerose
which is only 1.1 miles apart. A News 12 Long Island report on the proposed station shows that there may
be strong NIMBY opposition from surrounding residents - especially in the Village of Floral Park...

http://longisland.news12.com/story/4076 ... w-arena-li

My question with stations in such close proximity to one another: Will this new station at Elmont replace
Bellerose Station? The surrounding neighborhood to the south of Bellerose is part of Floral Park Village.
It is only 6/10 of a mile between Bellerose and Floral Park on the Hempstead Branch.

MACTRAXX

[Head-end View]

I bet LIRR is not happy about this latest Cuomo brainstorm. They'd prefer fewer stations not more, and especially not so close together. Shades of SEPTA!

[MattAmity90]

With this announcement, what branches will the station serve, all branches except the Babylon, Long Beach, West Hempstead, and Far Rockaway?

Now, I know there is a new Yaphank station in the works according to A Modern LI, but even though this is off subject. Will there be a new station constructed between Woodside and Grand Central Terminal?

[iFindTrains]

yes, there are plans to build a sunnyside station in between woodside and gc

[Jeff Smith]

I believe that Sunnyside is no longer in the plans due to cost and complexity (operations).

[spokes32]

It looks like the first phase of this station (opening 2021) will service eastbound Hempstead trains only. The second phase (opening 2023) looks like it will primarily service eastbound and westbound Hempstead trains at all times with additional Main Line trains making limited stops before and after events only.

[Jeff Smith]

Newsday.com

Elmont? Belmont? Now, I lived on Long Island for a couple years, and I can't tell the difference.

New York Islanders fans, concertgoers and shoppers would continue to rely on cars, buses and Jamaica-station-only trains to access the proposed arena at Belmont before Long Island’s first, full-time train stop in nearly 90 years is complete.

The announcement Monday of the $105 million Elmont train station on the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line was critical in the traffic plan for the 19,000-seat arena, 250-bed hotel and 350,000 square feet of retail space.

Funding for the project will include $30 million from the project developers, New York Arena Partners, and $75 million from the state. New York Arena Partners would pay $2.24 million to the state over 30 years to rent the public land at Belmont — a payment tied to the creation of the LIRR station — bringing the developer’s contribution to $97 million for the station. State officials said details about who would pay for any potential cost overruns are being finalized.

While there has been discussion about the station since at least April, the LIRR has not done a feasibility study of full-time service to Belmont Park, MTA officials said. The station is pending the approval of the MTA Board.
...

[JamesRR]

So, wouldn't the current Belmont Racetrack Station be unnecessary? I mean, it is closer to the actual track and could be used only on race days - but this new station's purpose seems to be solely in the fact that it's on the main line, not requiring trains to dead-end at the current racetrack station.

[NIMBYkiller]

How close to the new station on the main line will the new Islanders facility be? If it's going to still require a shuttle bus, then this is one of the more asinine projects to come about, because at that point they might as well just use Queens Village and bus them in from there.

[Backshophoss]

Except for Hempstead branch trains,Belmont Park station has little WB access,unless a series of high speed crossovers starting east of Floral Park
station ranging over to Hempstead #2 main to enter from the east,then using Hempstead #2 main to (CP)Garden as a layup/staging for the
the trains from the east end of the island.
Any C-3 sets from Speonk or Port Jeff could layup on the Garden Secondary.