The New York City Department of Transportation conducted a study to evaluate the feasibility of reintroducing passenger rail service on the Lower Montauk Branch line. The branch connects the existing Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations of Long Island City and Jamaica, and passes through Maspeth, Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village, and Richmond Hill. Passenger service last existed up until 1998, when the line became used for freight service only.

In summary, the study has determined that:

• It would be feasible to develop joint passenger-freight operations on the branch.
• Approximately 21,000 riders per weekday and 5.8 million riders annually would use the service, assuming a $2.75 fare, a free transfer to MTA Bus or Subway, and relatively frequent service throughout the day.
• Fare revenues are estimated at $15 million annually, while annual operations and maintenance costs are estimated at $55 million.
• Capital costs while maintaining freight service on the Branch are estimated at $2.2 billion, including substantial upgrades to rail infrastructure (track, signals, communications), new running track in key areas, new freight yard space to clear track for transit operations, transit vehicles, a storage and maintenance yard for transit vehicles, and property acquisition.
• Eliminating freight service altogether on the Branch (an option not analyzed in this study) would reduce total capital costs to about $1.1 billion.

This study, which was sponsored by former Council Member Elizabeth Crowley. To learn more, please visit the DOT website or download the final report here.