WELCOMING UBS ARENA
Belmont LIRR station offers new transit option to UBS Arena
BY BILL PARRY
Southeast Queens leaders applauded
SCHNEPS MEDIA | DEC.10, 2021 7
Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement
Tuesday, Nov. 16, that the new
Long Island Rail Road station near Belmont
Park would be open on Nov. 18 — just in
time for the New York Islanders’ first home
game at UBS Arena.
The first new LIRR station sits between
Bellerose and Queens Village at the Queens
and Nassau border.
State Senator Leroy Comrie, chair of the
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
Committee, said he’s continuously challenged
the MTA and its affiliates to reimagine
transportation across the state.
“I am proud to see the MTA/LIRR is receptive
to that vision while remaining committed
to direct community input throughout
the entirety of the process,” Comrie said.
“Protecting our environment, the integrity
and quality of life of local neighborhoods;
relieving congestion; providing full
ADA accessibility; and encouraging people
to use mass transit are all benchmarks of the
new Elmont Station that will allow us to hit
squarely on the bull’s-eye.”
The station currently offers eastbound service
to the new home of the New York
Islanders, and service will increase next summer
when the westbound platform opens.
At that time, the station will begin fulltime,
year-round service to the local community
and will begin to provide westbound
service to and from events at UBS Arena and
Belmont Park.
“This is a great example of when government
and private partnerships work,”
Assemblyman Clyde Vanel said. “We are
excited about all the economic opportunities
we are having in Nassau County and in
Queens. It’s great to have such partners going
forward and we cannot wait until Saturday.
I’m a season ticket holder, so I’m excited.”
The LIRR station will help reduce travel
times and is expected to increase the number
of event attendees who use public transportation,
helping to alleviate traffic congestion
in the surrounding communities.
“Modern, reliable transportation is the
linchpin of New York’s future economic
growth,” Empire State Development Acting
Commissioner Hope Knight said. “From
traveling to and from work to exploring the
region to attending an event at UBS Arena at
Belmont Park, the new Elmont LIRR station
will go a long way towards ensuring New
Yorkers’ commutes are safe and swift.”
Knight was the president and CEO of the
Greater Jamaica Development Corporation
for nearly a decade until last month when
the governor appointed her as the commissioner
of the Department of Economic
Development and as the president and CEO
of Empire State Development.
“Nothing says New York is back like building
bigger and better transportation infrastructure,”
Hochul said.
MTA Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber
said the new station will provide customers
with the fastest, safest and greenest way to
get to the state-of-the-art UBS Arena.
“This station delivers amenities and
conveniences that gives customers the
ability to enjoy New York Islanders games,
concerts and all of the fantastic events
that will happen here, further incentivizing
them to return to mass transit,” Lieber
said.
Photos by Marc A. Hermann/MTA
Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin and Acting MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber host a ceremonial first train
ride and ribbon-cutting at the LIRR Elmont station, the first new Long Island Rail Road station in
nearly 50 years.
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