The proposed addition of a third track to the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line will not only aim to ease the commutes of a half-million LIRR customers, but will also mean a facelift for several locations where the new track will cross.
The state’s estimated $2 billion plan to build a 9.8-mile-long third track beginning this year will also require encroaching on as many as two dozen private properties, including four businesses that could be uprooted and demolished, project officials say.
Despite assurances that the new track will be built entirely on the railroad’s existing right of way, several related improvements, including retaining walls, drainage improvements, and expanded station platforms, will require working or building on privately-owned parcels.