Comment EI-33279
Received or sent (printed as 1/24/2024)
All along this line there are many street grade crossings west of Smithtown . There are very few train bridges on this line into NYC. Your own OEA report assumes the freight train to be one mile long,travelling at 15 mph. This will cross Larkfield road at the East Northport train station, about two miles west of Townline rail and about 2 blocks north of the East Northport Fire Dept whose equipment needs to cross over the tracks to service the north side of East Northport. Residents also need quick access to Huntington Hospital, very north of the tracks. The same situation is present In Syosset NY , another stop on the Port Jefferson LIRR line. Ill residents would need to cross the tracks from the northern end of town to get to Syosset Hospital on Jericho tpke, south of the station. The Deer Park line, which is already carrying the bulk of Long Island's freight has more elevated track bridges and runs through less housing developments. The South Shore LIRR line is totally elevated from Massapequa through Queens. I would also request no tanker cars filled with oil, gas or liquids ever be allowed on this train line as houses abut the LIRR in many towns on this north shore route. If this gets approved, I request that the FAST act be followed requiring a list of all incoming cargo to be presented to the Towns of Huntington and Smithtown , each week so they can be prepared for the worst. Of course if no tankers ever pass on the line we will be safer. Certainly there needs to be a capped number of freight cars as this line cannot manage a 50 freight car train. Many areas of the country where freight passes are open territory . This area of Long Island is so built up there is no room for error . Finally, are these tracks, which are electrified from Huntington station west suitable for carrying a 400,000 pound diesel locomotive and accompanying freight cars. Currently a LIRR diesel locomotive pulls about 13 LIRR cars from Huntington east to Port Jefferson station.
Submitted by: Rach Ross · member of Commack Community Association · Commack, NY
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-36575/comment/EI-33279 · back to the docket sheet