![\"Alfonso](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768306631_800_image.png\"\/)
<\/p>\nA\u00a0reimagined Jamaica station will address cramped conditions and complicated connections to the subway and Kennedy Airport’s AirTrain, transforming the busy LIRR junction into a \u201cworld class\u201d transit facility, Gov. Kathy Hochul will announce as part of a $50 million redesign effort.<\/p>\n
The overhaul of the Long Island Rail Road\u2019s transfer hub is set to be part of\u00a0her scheduled State of the State address Tuesday. The proposal, previewed to reporters Monday, will set aside the $50 million to fund the design of a modernized Jamaica station, which her office said \u201chas been left far behind\u00a0in terms of customer experience and investment,\u201d even as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the state have invested billions on other LIRR facilities, including Penn Station and Grand Central Madison.<\/p>\n
\u201cJamaica Station is a critical gateway for commuters on Long Island and travelers from around the world, but it has lacked investment for decades,\u201d Hochul said in a statement. \u201cOur plan will create a state-of-the-art transit hub in Southeast Queens that riders will use for generations to come.” She is also set to announce an effort to extend the Second Avenue Subway.<\/p>\n
The Jamaica project will aim to \u201ccreate better traffic flow, reduce crowding,\u201d and provide \u201cseamless\u201d connections\u00a0to the adjacent subway and AirTrain.<\/p>\n
With the exception of those on the Port Washington branch, every LIRR train passes through Jamaica, making it the fourth-busiest commuter rail station in North America, behind only Penn, Grand Central Terminal, and Toronto\u2019s Union Station, according to Hochul\u2019s office. Jamaica became an even more critical part of the LIRR\u2019s operation with the 2023 opening of a second Manhattan terminal, Grand Central Madison, which resulted in more frequent transfers \u00a0and longer waits for trains at Jamaica.<\/p>\n
The 113-year-old, 10-track station, which was last renovated 23 years ago, is showing its age, with riders regularly complaining about the lack of modern amenities and the complicated layout. The station connects to the E, J and Z subway lines at street level and to the AirTrain at the upper level.<\/p>\n
The railroad recently opened a new platform with two new tracks exclusively serving shuttle trains on the Brooklyn branch. The operation has drawn some complaints among Brooklyn commuters, who now regularly must travel from track level\u00a0to the upper level, across the station and down again to switch trains.<\/p>\n
LIRR Commuter Council chairman Gerard Bringmann said his wishlist for a reimagined Jamaica station would include elevators on the west end of the platforms, more plentiful seating, additional restrooms, new dining options and measures to shield commuters from the elements, especially during the winter months. Bringmann acknowledged there may be logistical hurdles in the way of some upgrades, but he said he hopes all will be considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sit down, you discuss, you throw things out \u2026 You get the discussion going and you figure out what can work, what can\u2019t work and how extensive you can go, and then take it from there,\u201d Bringmann said. \u201cAnything is an improvement. Let\u2019s get the discussion started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hochul\u2019s office noted the MTA and the Port Authority, which owns and operates the AirTrain, have already begun \u201ca joint effort to coordinate this project.\u201d<\/p>\n
The MTA has, separately, advanced a half-billion dollar effort to reconfigure Jamaica\u2019s complex array of tracks and switches, with the goal of speeding up what LIRR officials call \u201cthe Jamaica\u00a0\u00a0crawl,\u201d so named because\u00a0of the need for trains to slow down considerably through the junction.<\/p>\n
Contractors recently completed a $169 million effort to build a new two-track bridge at a key switching point at Jamaica known as the Hall Interlocking that aims to untangle trains routes and reduce travel times through the station by three minutes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\tAlfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A\u00a0reimagined Jamaica station will address cramped conditions and complicated connections to the subway and Kennedy Airport’s AirTrain, transforming…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[1606,9,24,63,122,124,123,608],"class_list":{"0":"post-98544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-lirr","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-nyc","12":"tag-queens","13":"tag-queens-headlines","14":"tag-queens-news","15":"tag-transportation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}