TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 8-14, 2022
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MTA announces accessibility upgrades at three Queens LIRR stations
to use our public transportation
system,” Williams
said. “I look forward to
working together to ensure
all LIRR stations in the
27th district have working
elevators.”
The MTA said the upgrades
are part of an historic
$5 billion investment
in accessibility systemwide.
“Our transit system is
the lynchpin of this region
and has to be accessible for
everyone. The MTA considers
accessibility a top-tier
priority, and we are taking
action to improve the lives
of our customers,” MTA
Chair and CEO Janno Lieber
said. “I have already
committed to building elevators
at the LIRR’s Locust
Manor, Laurelton and
St. Albans stations. We’re
already designing them;
we’ve already funded them
and it’s going to happen
within the time frame of the
current capital program.”
Quemel Arroyo, who
was named the MTA’s first
all-agency chief accessibility
officer just over a year
ago, spoke of the enhanced
experience elevators will
have for LIRR riders.
“These new elevators
will create a much better
experience for LIRR customers
with mobility disabilities
and the countless
riders who travel with luggage,
strollers, bicycles and
more,” Arroyo said. “We
need to continue enhancing
accessibility at our station
to deliver a commuter
railroad network that
leaves no rider behind.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
BY BILL PARRY
Southeast Queens lawmakers
are applauding the
MTA plan to bring accessibility
upgrades to three Long
Island Rail Road stations.
The agency announced
Monday it would install
street and platform elevators
at the Laurelton, St.
Albans and Locust Manor
station in Springfield Gardens,
and add new sidewalks
and curb ramps that
are compliant with the
Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) as well as all
necessary signage.
“From my first public
hearing as corporations
chair, my constituents
have been fighting for elevator
access at the Laurelton,
Locust Manor and
St. Albans stations,” state
Senator Leroy Comrie said.
“The Addisleigh Park, Federated
Blocks of Laurelton,
Merrill Park and TriAngular
civic associations,
along with civic leaders,
have joined me in advocating
for these upgrades due
to our aging population,
families with strollers and
the necessity for accessibility
in southeast Queens.
I’m glad to see the MTA/
LIRR has expedited these
investments, as these upgrades
are planned in the
2024 capital budget program.
I hope these elevator
additions will be fully
realized within the next 18
months.”
Southeast Queens residents,
especially seniors
and those with limited mobility,
have long been short
changed when it comes
to accessible mass transit
options, according to
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards.
“Quite simply, the already
limited number
of stations in southeast
Queens, including Laurelton,
Locust Manor and
St. Albans LIRR stations,
must be fully accessible to
all our residents regardless
of ability as quickly as possible,”
Richards said. “I’m
pleased MTA leadership
has made a commitment to
add elevators at these stations,
and I look forward
to working with the MTA
to expedite these installations
to ensure that everyone
is able to safely and
conveniently get around
our borough and city.”
Assemblywoman Alicia
Hyndman said the announcement
comes after a
yearslong campaign by her
constituents.
“The residents of Laurelton
wrote letters, made
calls and had tours of the
Laurelton LIRR station all
because they wanted an
elevator for the station,”
Hyndman said. “They
wanted the station to be
accessible for all and now
their hard work has been
answered.”
Councilwoman Nantasha
Williams said the
upgrades are “incredibly
important” for the
community.
“We are a neighborhood
with a significant senior
population and families
with young children that
rely on elevators in order
The MTA will install elevators at the Laurelton, St. Albans
and Locust Manor LIRR stations to make them more
accessible to customers with mobility disabilities and
families with strollers, among others. Photo courtesy of MTA
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