Queens Gazette

Key Elements Of LIRR Elmont UBS Station Still Missing

Op— Ed


The one “restroom” provided for all pas­sengers at the LIRR Elmont station. Photo Steve Kalka

The one “restroom” provided for all pas­sengers at the LIRR Elmont station. Photo Steve Kalka

After investing $105 million for construc­tion of the new Long Island Rail Road El­mont UBS Arena Station, some key elements are still missing. There is only one portable restroom to accommodate hundreds of UBS fans adjacent to the one outdoor shelter for those waiting for the shuttle bus to the arena. If you have the urge to go, it has to be shared by both men and women. It is also inaccessi­ble to those who are wheelchair-bound. If there is a line to access this one and only op­tion to relieve yourself, how many riders might not wait, but go on the platform, mez­zanine, or elevator? Why is there no perma­nent bathroom with both urinals and stalls with separate facilities to accommodate men, women and those physically disabled as part of the LIRR Elmont UBS Arena Station? Most LIRR stations provide such basic ac­commodations. You better have a strong blad­der upon exiting the train to hold out up to twenty minutes by the time you are able to enter the UBS Arena and find a bathroom to relieve yourself.

LIRR stations usually have waiting rooms with seating. They are heated during the win­ter and air conditioned during the summer. Why does the Elmont UBS Arena Station just have a bare bones mezzanine whose only pur­pose is to afford fans the opportunity to access both the southeast bound and northwest bound platforms when traveling to and from the UBS Arena? Bathrooms, seating areas, air conditioning and overhead space heaters could have been easily accommodated on the mezzanine level. There is only one elevator serving each platform providing access to the UBS Arena via the mezzanine. What happens if one or both are out of service due to me­chanical issues? Many wheelchair-bound people will have a difficult time attempting to navigate the accompanying handicapped ramp. Why wasn’t a second elevator installed on both the eastbound and westbound plat­forms? This could have provided increased capacity to accommodate disabled patrons. Was all of the above a cost-cutting measure in reduction of project scope on the part of MTA and LIRR to keep the price tag from growing beyond $105 million? Perhaps the MTA and LIRR were afraid of an invasion by nearby homeless people moving into the fa­cility.

The westbound platform has a total of five benches to accommodate 20 riders. The east­bound platform has a total of three benches to accommodate 12 riders. There are no provi­sions anyplace at the station to accommodate advertising, which could generate badly needed revenue. You can count on one hand the number of parking spots allocated for El­mont and other nearby communities that are being used by commuters on any given week­day.

There are only five bike racks on the north side and none on the south side to accommo­date those who wish to cycle to the facility. When it comes to disposal of newspapers, beverage containers, garbage or other waste, there doesn’t appear to be any options for re­cycling. There are only a limited number of garbage cans on the platform levels. Are rid­ers supposed to carry all of this refuse onto the train or into the UBS Arena? This contra­dicts the MTA commitment to support a cleaner environment.

There is plenty of surplus property on the north side of the station that could have been used for drivers to drop off potential com­muters.

There is an absence of trailblazer signs in the surrounding communities to direct people in finding the station. The source of funding for the new Elmont UBS LIRR Station comes from the Empire State Development Corpo­ration transferring $105 million from their budget to the MTA. This financed the new El­mont UBS LIRR Station. The developers put in $30 million up front and the state $75 mil­lion. The developers are in the process of making yearly payments, without interest, to reimburse the state over the next 30 years. The developer ended up with an interest free loan. Could Elmont or other nearby commu­nity small businessperson get the same sweet­heart deal? They would have to go to a bank and pay interest charges. Commuters, taxpay­ers, transit advocates, MTA funding agencies, elected officials, local neighbors and UBS Arena patrons deserve better. Clearly, invest­ing $105 million for the new Elmont UBS Arena station did not come anywhere close to delivering all the previous promises made by the MTA, LIRR, elected officials who pro­moted this project and other project advo­cates.

One response to “Key Elements Of LIRR Elmont UBS Station Still Missing”

  1. Jessie says:

    I totally agreed. .I move to Elmont middle of last year. Was very excited about the having a train station nearby. I commute to Elmont during the weekdays i’m so disappointed I was shock there wasn’t any waiting rooms with seatings and heat. No toilets and directions to get to the train station is so confusing getting a Uber to come to the parking they have no idea how to get there. I meet lot of ppl just stranded out in the parking lot asking me a ride to get to Hempstead oh it’s freezing and no waiting room last week I was crying cause several Uber drivers canceled my ride they don’t know how to get to this place . My husband gets so worried when I’m getting home in evenings no one there to help just sometimes a pick up truck with a driver on his phone think it’s a security or someone hire to work 🤷🏽‍♀️ but they really need to to better.

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