A number of changes are taking place in the city’s railways. From the development of new stations to transforming railway property to a mixed-used development, here’s a look at a few of the upcoming changes you can expect to see.
Staten Island Railway Debuts New Station
The Staten Island Railway recently debuted its first new station in almost 50 years. Known as the Arthur Kill station, the new station replaced the existing Nassau and Atlantic Stations along the line in Tottenville, which is the southernmost neighborhood in Staten Island.
Construction of the new station, which came at a $27.4 million price tag, was mostly prompted by the fact that the two original stations were smaller and were unable to handle the new fleet of trains that are now being operated by the Staten Island Railway. The station itself is part of a larger $386 million investment in the Staten Island Railway system. The funds will go toward the cost of replacing some of the fleet, while other funds will go toward station repairs, building countdown clocks on all of the stations and building three new power substations.
The new stations is located between Lion Street and Bernard Avenue on Arthur Kill road. The station, which is ADA-compliant, offers 150 parking spots and transfers to the S78 bus route. The Nassau and Atlantic stations only allowed single-door boarding, while the new station allows customers to board through all of the doors.
MTA’s L Train Tunnel Repair Project Exceeds Budget
The repair project for the MTA’s L train tunnel is officially over budget and behind schedule. As such, it is now expected to cost $16 million more than what had been previously estimated. With an estimated cost of $883.3 million, increasing the cost to $899.6 million is only a small percentage increase. The additional funds will go toward addressing an updated assessment from an engineer.
Just as the budget has been increased, so has the amount of time expected to complete the job. This is due to the fact that the agency has yet to pick a contractor to complete the project, thereby putting it 3 months behind schedule. While the selection process was originally supposed to be completed by the end of last year, it is now expected to take until next month to complete. Work on the tunnel is still expected to begin at the start of 2019. In the meantime, plans are in the works to finalize alternative plans for getting L train riders in and out of Manhattan.
Railyard Parcel May Become Affordable Housing
The city has reportedly issued a request for proposals to develop a mixed-use development on a parcel of land located at 11-24 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City. Currently used as an LIRR storage space, the property is bound by 21st Street and 49th Avenue. The development would require the creation of a platform over the railyard in a way that is similar to the platform that is being constructed at Hudson Yards.
The current proposal calls for seeking a third party to develop the 58,000-square-foot site into a mixed-use development that will include a community facility, affordable housing and a publicly-accessible outdoor space.