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LIRR hearing on Syosset platform extension


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LIRR hearing on Syosset platform extension

BY STEVE RITEA

Newsday

February 12, 2008

 

[float=right]35558017-12182909.jpg[/float]Citing complaints from residents and concern for commuters, state Sen. Carl Marcellino said Tuesday he's opposed to extending the platform at the Long Island Rail Road's Syosset station -- for now.

 

Marcellino said he came to the conclusion after hearing from neighbors who fear the effect on their property values. He said he's also worried about riders having a longer walk to catch their trains.

 

Noting the LIRR's addition of platform conductors to help passengers navigate over the wide gaps there, Marcellino (R-Syosset) said, "let's see how that works before we go to a full-blown extension of the platform."

 

A meeting on the LIRR's plans to extend the Syosset platform by up to 610 feet is scheduled tonight from 7 to 9 at Syosset High School, 70 Southwoods Rd. Marcellino is expected to attend.

 

Extending the platform and moving the ticket office to a spot near the middle of the platform would cost an estimated $6.5 million, according to the LIRR.

 

Last week, Marcellino and LIRR President Helena Williams met with several dozen residents who he said remain concerned about noise, lights and privacy. Williams has said the LIRR would build a fence and a canopy between homes and the new platform.

 

Syosset has one of the sharpest curves of any LIRR platform, with gaps as wide as 13.4 inches in some spots. It has had more than three dozen gap-related accidents between 1989 and last July.

 

The proposal calls for extending the station's north platform along a straight stretch of track, behind about 10 homes.

 

The railroad recently erected heated booths on the platform for conductors stationed there during rush hours to help passengers.

 

LIRR spokesman Joe Calderone said there are plans to introduce a "call ahead" program that would allow riders at Syosset to inform conductors on the platform or on trains to be ready with "bridge plates" to cover the gap between the train and the platform.

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