Port Jefferson Branch Yard EIS

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), in cooperation with the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposal to select sites and construct additional yard facilities on the LIRR Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch.

The FTA/MTA will prepare the EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which will analyze strategies to meet the need for storage of electric trains on the Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch. As required by the Record of Decision issued by the FTA on 5/21/01 in connection with the East Side Access (ESA) Project, the EIS will be tiered from the Final EIS previously issued for ESA.

The first phase of the preparation of an EIS under NEPA is “scoping”, intended to solicit input from the public related to the analyses (e.g. – noise, light, vibration, traffic, etc.) to be included in the EIS. The FTA, MTA, and LIRR would like to thank those who took part in Public Scoping Meetings for the Port Jefferson Branch Yard (EIS). The period for public comment during scoping ended on December 31, 2003.

The next phase in the NEPA process will be the preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that is scheduled for publication by the end of 2005. The DEIS will include a detailed discussion of the site selection process; including how initial sites were selected, how fatal flaws were evaluated, and how a short list of sites was developed. It will also include detailed information on the issues raised during the scoping process and a full evaluation of the impacts of an electric rail yard at the possible sites. Upon publication, the DEIS will be widely distributed for pubic review and public input will once again be sought.

After review of comments on the DEIS, the FTA/MTA will prepare a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that reflects those comments and, based on the results of the impact analyses and together with the final analysis will select a preferred site for a Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch yard.

It is our desire to work with the community and elected officials so that a suitable location can be identified for this important project. We appreciate your patience as the DEIS is prepared.

See scoping packet (PDF format)
See map of entire area showing initial 19 sites.

See videos and street maps of six remaining sites under review.

See aerial pictures of proposed sites. These are large files that will require scrolling in most web browsers. The download size is listed after the name:

If you wish to add your name to the mailing list for notification of meetings and other documents, please contact:

Peter Palamaro
Editorial Officer
LIRR Public Affairs Department
Jamaica Station, Mail Code 1131
Jamaica, NY 11435
(718) 558-7934

Or you can e-mail us.