New Hyde Park holds meeting on proposed LIRR 3rd track

There is growing opposition on Long Island about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to add a third track to the LIRR's main line in Nassau County to increase train capacity. The village of New Hyde Park held

News 12 Staff

Mar 4, 2016, 7:57 AM

Updated 3,110 days ago

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There is growing opposition on Long Island about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to add a third track to the LIRR's main line in Nassau County to increase train capacity.
The village of New Hyde Park held a public meeting Thursday night on the proposal at Marcus Christ Community Center next to New Hyde Park Village Hall.
Dozens of citizens groups, as well as village mayors, say they are opposed to increasing the tracks from two to three between Hicksville and Floral Park because they believe it will increase congestion and noise.
The MTA says the third track project would cost about $1.5 billion and take six years to finish. It would increase reverse commuting and keep trains moving around disabled trains.
"I think there's other ways to deal with capacity, and that's not trying to put as much through the main line as you possibly can," says New Hyde Park Mayor Robert Lofaro. "It's having higher occupancy rails, double decker cars, more of those."
Some business owners say they also oppose the plan because they believe there will be less business during the long-proposed construction period.
Residents say they plan to fight the project by calling, writing letters and tweeting at Gov. Cuomo to cancel it. They say that public outcry helped defeat the project in the past and they won't give up their fight until it's once again shelved.