46 THE COURIER SUN • october 9, 2014 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIt www.couriersun.com BREWS & TUNES AT THE FLEA BY QUEENS COURIER STAFF [email protected] Visitors will be dancing into the LIC Flea & Food this weekend for more Oktoberfest fun. The popular Long Island City market, located at the outdoor lot on the corner of Fifth Street and 46th Avenue, will continue Whitestone resident petitions again for Metro-North stops in western Queens BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] @aaltamirano28 The wheels are turning once again for one Queens resident who hopes to bring more transportation options to the borough. Ali Fadil, a Whitestone resident who previously lived in Astoria and Jackson Heights, has started an online petition calling on the MTA to bring Metro-North Railroad access into western Queens as part of its plan to expand the line to Penn Station. In the MTA’s 2015-2019 $32 billion Capital Program, the agency plans a project that would take the Metro- North’s New Haven line directly to Penn Station, adding four new stations in the Bronx. As part of expansion, the line would use existing track, owned by Amtrak, to go directly into Manhattan. In doing this, the line would go into Queens but without making any stops in the borough. “Metro-North wants to run trains through Queens but has no interest in serving Queens, which is wrong especially since western Queens has seen a lot of growth in the past years,” Fadil said. This is Fadil’s second petition regarding the expanding of Metro-North stops into the borough. In 2012, when he was only 18, Fadil began his initial petition which gathered 263 signatures. He said the support he got the first time around helped him make his plan more specific on what needs to be done. “I am here to make sure that our communities get what we deserve and Queens shouldn’t be left out in the cold,” said Fadil, who is a senior studying political science and sociology at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. “When it comes to public transportation, it’s Queens that’s the forgotten borough, not Staten Island.” The 20-year-old’s petition, which started on Oct. 5 and as of Oct. 7 has 44 signatures, calls on the transportation agency to bring the New Haven line to western Queens and also study two locations along the Amtrak line to be considered for stations. The locations are Astoria Boulevard between 41st and 44th streets, and Northern Boulevard at Broadway, which is close to the M and R trains and two local buses. The petition also calls on Amtrak to make “necessary structural repairs” to the tracks which go over the Hell Gate Bridge in Astoria and would be used during the expansion of the Metro-North New Haven line. According to Fadil, the existing Amtrak line is “falling apart” and in need of repair. In the capital program, the MTA said the Metro-North expansion would include upgrade to power and signal systems, installing of new track and realigning existing tracks, and replacing railroad bridges to accommodate more trains. “If I see something that isn’t being done right, I want to see it done right for people,” he said. “That’s why I do what I do.” Fadil said he now hopes to get support from local elected officials and leaders to help make his ideas a reality. According to an MTA spokesperson, there are no plans to construct a Metro-North station in Queens because it is too costly to build an elevated station for a low ridership. To check out the petition, visit www. gopetition.com and search for Metro- North. Photo by Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Patrick Cashin Ali Fadil, a Whitestone resident, has started his second petition to bring Metro-North Railroad access to western Queens. with its fall celebrations featuring a pumpkin patch with pumpkins straight from the farm. This weekend will be Brews & Tunes with vendors selling vinyl records and vinyl record art. There will be guest DJs spinning tunes as visitors shop. The LIC Flea Beer Garden, which is set up along the basin in the back of the market with views of the Manhattan skyline and outdoor seating, will have a 2-for-1 beer and wine special from 4 to 4:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Beer selections come from SingleCut Beersmiths, Queens Brewery, Finback Brewery and Rockaway Brewing Company. Some LIC Flea vendors will also be featuring special Oktoberfest menu items just in time for the fall festivities. LIC Flea & Food is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will run through the end of the year. The LIC Flea Beer Garden is open during the hours of operation of the flea market. For more information visit www.licflea. com or www.facebook.com/licflea.
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