Can the LIRR electrify more Suffolk County train lines?

Dashing from the double-decker diesel train to the electric locomotive across the platform is a staple of the daily commute for thousands of Long Island Rail Road riders.

The diesel-to-electric train transfer when heading west at Babylon, Ronkonkoma, Huntington, and Jamaica stations often adds minutes and sometimes delays to LIRR commutes, a burden Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine wants to end.

During a meeting with hyper-local media outlets on July 26, Romaine said he’d like to revitalize the county’s public transportation, calling for improved bus and electrified train services, particularly for South Shore residents.

Romaine later met with MTA officials at the 180th anniversary of train services to Greenport on July 27, where he raised the electrification question.

“It’s nice to be celebrating the 180th anniversary, but you’re still running this railroad, at least on the east end, as if it was 180 years ago,” Romaine said. “Why are we having to put up with dirty diesel? Why aren’t we subject to getting electric trains?”

Cost-effectiveness and open spaces for electric-power substations are among the hurdles to expanding electrified train services, according to Larry Penner, former director of the Federal Transit Administration Region 2.

Through his positions heading transit plans across the metro area, like reviewing billions of dollars in MTA Capital Plans, Penner understands the uphill battle electrification expansion faces.

“The challenge we face here is competition,” Penner said. “Your neighbors to the north [Port Jefferson] have been waiting for 40 years to electrify their branch, so the residents on the South Shore have to get online.”

Since the Port Jefferson line sees significantly higher ridership than any other diesel branch, with 11,934,009 riders in 2023 compared to 1,762,578 riders on the Montauk Branch in the same year, the MTA will likely prioritize electrifying the North Shore first.

The MTA has been studying Port Jefferson electrification for decades and estimates in their 2025-2044 20-year Needs Assessment that the upgrades, which would include an electric train yard, could cost around $3.1 billion. The improvements could also shave travel times by 3.6 minutes, but the MTA considers the cost-benefit analysis “average” against other projects due to high costs relative to ridership.

In 2022, the LIRR considered installing battery-electric equipment on existing electric trains so they could travel on non-third rail tracks, but deemed the idea too expensive following a study on the Oyster Bay Branch.

Meanwhile, the only improvement the MTA considered for the Montauk Branch in their 20-year needs assessment was upgrading signals and services between Speonk and Montauk. However, the transit body deemed the $260 million price tag “not cost-effective” due to low ridership and possibly crowding the service more during peak summer hours.

“Nothing is set in stone,” said MTA media liaison Michael Cortez. “We do have a Capital Program coming out in October.”

The five-year Capital Program will outline the MTA’s projects through 2030, and say whether the transit authority will consider electrification, otherwise, commuters may have to wait another five years for any funding for the idea.

According to Penner, south shore commuters have two ideal scenarios for LIRR improvements. Either seek small-scale projects unrelated to electrification or include a planning feasibility study and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on electrifying the Montauk branch to Patchogue in the five-year Capital Plan.

Small-scale projects could include installing a second train track east of Sayville, which might reduce delays, or electrifying the line on a station-by-station basis, starting with Babylon to Bay Shore.

In an ideal world to Penner, planning would take around 10 years to complete and cost around $60 million, with construction to electrify the Montauk Line from Babylon to Patchogue occurring from 2035 to 2040, costing a total of around $500 million.

With the potential $15 billion revenue from the MTA’s congestion pricing plan falling through, it’s uncertain whether the agency will tackle any electrification in their upcoming five-year plan, but Penner says that rail advocates should write to their elected officials, who might have available funds for constituency projects.

“It’s more than just holding the MTA and Long Island Rail Road accountable,” Penner said. “You have to hold your elected officials accountable because talk is cheap. Actions speak louder.”