Amtrak is en route towards major changes.
Its new one-seat train ride — which allows passengers to travel from one station to another without transfers — will operate between Long Island and mainland U.S., the first service of its kind to do so.
The ambitious project is slated for completion in 2030 and comes on the heels of various transportation upgrades throughout the New York area, including the Gateway Program’s Hudson Tunnel Project and Port Authority Bus Terminal’s $10 billion renovation, to name a few.
If you’re curious what this new route entails and how it will affect your future commutes, we’ll tell you everything you need to know.
Amtrak’s one-seat train ride from LI to mainland U.S.
According to reports from Amtrak, this corridor will connect Long Island, New York, to national intercity train networks by extending three existing daily Amtrak Northeast Regional round trips between Washington, D.C., and New York, east to Ronkonkoma, New York, with stops at Jamaica, New York, and Hicksville, New York.
Gothamist deconstructs and simplifies the proposal: three daily off-peak Amtrak trains heading east from Penn Station will run to Ronkonkoma instead of through New England and three westbound trains will run from Ronkonkoma to Washington, D.C., which totals roughly five hours.
Gothamist adds that Nicole Bucich, vice president network development at Amtrak, revealed that passengers are interested in one-seat rides from Long Island to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and of course, New Jersey.
Long Islanders have a few options when venturing to the Garden State:
A) Drive
B) Take the Long Island Railroad and transfer at Penn Station to the New Jersey Transit, or walk several blocks to pick up the PATH
Could you imagine finally having a train route that eliminates that hassle? It would certainly be a game-changer to do away with transferring.
The rail service is awaiting a federal grant of up to $500,000 that will go towards a technical analysis of the proposed rides. As more information becomes available, we’ll be sure to keep you informed.