The Long Island Railroad’s efforts to site a new yard along the Port Jefferson Branch have met with a storm of criticism and little public support. That is short-sighted on the parts of the residents and officials in Huntington and Smithtown. The areas along the line stand to benefit significantly from improvements associated with the new yard, in exchange for relatively minor local impacts.

At recent "scoping" hearings for the yard project’s environmental impact statement, LIRR officials have heard complaints about likely noise and other impacts. Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio urged research on the likely property value degradation the yard would cause for area homes. At an August meeting in June convened by Huntington officials, hundreds of locals rallied against the plan. Common concerns regarded potential increases in noise and air pollution, and the storage of chemicals and fuel in the rail yard.

The area may be close to NIMBYing a good thing to death. The yard is needed for the LIRR’s plan to electrify the branch to its terminus in Port Jefferson. That would mean more frequent, faster service and one-seat rides to Manhattan. Today, riders east of Huntington Station undergo a cumbersome, time-consuming train switch there.

Experience in New Jersey after establishment of new one-seat rides on the NJ Transit Morris and Essex line during the 90s and the Boonton line last year is that property values increased significantly along with improved rail access to Manhattan. This is likely along the Port Jefferson line even though Manhattan commuters are a smaller proportion of Long Island’s workforce than ever. With the LIRR East Side Access project coming someday, such gains may be further magnified.

If it cannot come to a reasonable accommodation with local interests, it’s possible that the LIRR would back-burner the Port Jefferson project and focus its capital budget elsewhere. The railroad also needs to undertake the costly development of a third track along its Main Line in Nassau County, and the construction of a continuous double-track on the Main Line’s eastern end. Those projects too may face some opposition, but the smartest municipal officials will recognize that better rail access to New York City is a boon for residents and local businesses, and perhaps grab an opportunity to jump to the head of the line for major LIRR capital improvements.

If it proceeds on schedule, the final environmental impact statement for the Huntington/Smithtown yard and Port Jefferson electrification project is expected by the end of 2005.

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