Elmont–UBS Arena (also known as Elmont) is a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station in Elmont and Bellerose Terrace, New York, just east of the Nassau County border with the New York City borough of Queens. It serves the LIRR Main Line and was built as part of the redevelopment of Belmont Park, which included the construction of the UBS Arena for the NHL's New York Islanders hockey team. The station opened for eastbound service in November 2021 and westbound service in October 2022.
Elmont UBS Arena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The Elmont–UBS Arena station, as seen in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Superior Road Elmont & Bellerose Terrace, New York | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°43′12″N 73°43′34″W / 40.720007°N 73.726182°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Long Island Rail Road | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Main Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  New York City Bus: Q2, Q36 MTA Bus: Q110 Nassau Inter-County Express: n1, n6, n24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
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Plans for the station were first announced in July 2019 by then-New York governor Andrew Cuomo. New York Arena Partners, the main party behind the Belmont Park redevelopment, would pay $97 million of the estimated $105 million cost, with the balance being paid by the state.[2][3] The station was the first completely new LIRR station since 1976, when the now-dismantled Southampton College station opened.[3] The project was seen as a vital part of the Belmont Park redevelopment project.[4] Though the Elmont station serves a portion of Elmont that did not previously have full-time train service, opponents of UBS Arena have claimed that the station plans conceal the real motivation behind building the arena.[5]
The LIRR's officials stated that they did not expect the new Elmont station to generate new commuter ridership – but that the station would instead result in a shift of existing riders living in Bellerose Terrace and Elmont who previously used other stations. With the operation of the Elmont station, existing levels of commuter service to other LIRR stations (e.g., Queens Village, Bellerose, Floral Park) has been maintained, and officials further stated that the addition of the Elmont–UBS Arena station would not result in an impact to commuter service.[6]
On November 20, 2021, the eastbound platform opened for the Islanders' first game at UBS Arena that night.[7][8] While construction of the westbound platform continued, customers were required to use free shuttle buses or walk to UBS Arena or Belmont Park station until the westbound platform opened the following year.[9][10] The westbound platform officially opened on October 6, 2022, for the Islanders–Devils preseason game that night.[11][12]
On February 8, 2023, the LIRR announced that the Elmont–UBS Arena station would be served by trains on the Port Jefferson Branch as far as Huntington and on the Ronkonkoma Branch, with limited service during peak hours and most trains stopping during weekday evening or weekend hours.[13][14] As of April 2024, service is primarily provided by trains on the Hempstead Branch, with the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Branches providing limited service.[15]
Station layout
edit| Platform level |
Platform A, side platform 
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| Track 3 | ← Hempstead Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Queens Village) | |
| Track 1 | ← Main Line services do not stop here → | |
| Track 2 | ← Main Line services do not stop here → | |
| Track 4 | Hempstead Branch toward Hempstead (Bellerose) → | |
| Platform B, side platform
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| G | Ground level | Exit/entrance and buses |
This station has two 12-car-long side platforms, both of which are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Unlike the Belmont Park station directly to the south, it is able to serve Main Line trains from both the west and east. The station also includes platform canopies, LED signs, benches, USB charging ports, bike racks, and art.
The station is located directly east of (and partially over) the overpass across the Cross Island Parkway.[16] The location of the station gives platform access on the Bellerose Terrace side via an overpass.
References
edit- ^ "Governor Hochul Announces Start of Two-Way Event Day Service at LIRR Elmont–UBS Arena Station". Governor's Press Office. October 6, 2022.
- ^ "New Full-Time LIRR Station Planned Near Belmont Park". CBS New York. July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Islanders arena project at Belmont Park now includes new LIRR station". Newsday. July 8, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ Reyes, Ronny (July 8, 2019). "State announces plans for full-time Elmont LIRR station". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ Hogan, Bernadette; Calder, Rich (July 8, 2019). "Cuomo promises new railroad station at Belmont Park". New York Post. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ "Belmont Park Redevelopment Civic and Land Use Improvement Project Final Environmental Impact Statement" (PDF). Empire State Development Corporation. 2019. p. S-42.
- ^ Lavacca, Katherine (November 16, 2021). "1st new LIRR station in 50 years opening just in time for Islanders homecoming at UBS Arena". ABC7 New York. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ Parry, Bill (November 18, 2021). "New LIRR station opens near Belmont Park in time for Islanders' first home game at UBS Arena". QNS.com. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ Traverso, Robert (October 8, 2021). "Elmont LIRR station opening for partial service next month". Long Island Herald. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ "LIRR Elmont station projected to be ready in 2022". Newsday. November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ Schnapp, Howard (October 6, 2022). "Bi-directional service is coming to the Elmont UBS Arena LIRR station". Newsday. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ Ingram, Molly (October 7, 2022). "Long Island Rail Road's Elmont–UBS Arena Station is open for game day transportation". WSHU. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ "Changes to LIRR Ronkonkoma Branch service in 2023". February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Changes to LIRR Port Jefferson Branch service in 2023". February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Elmont–UBS Arena". MTA. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ "LIRR Elmont station projected to be ready in 2022". Newsday. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
External links
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Media related to Elmont (LIRR station) at Wikimedia Commons