Hicksville, NY - February 23rd, 2015 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the final design for a new Long Island Rail Road station in Hicksville. The project is a $120 million investment meant to revitalize the region’s busiest transit hub and kick-start residential and commercial development in the hamlet's downtown. Renderings of the project can be viewed here.

“By renovating the Hicksville station, we’re moving ahead with much-needed upgrades at one of the LIRR’s busiest outlets and breathing new economic life into the community,” Governor Cuomo said. “This rehabilitation is designed to fundamentally improve riders’ experiences at Hicksville while also setting the stage for expanded service through the East Side Access project, and I am pleased to see it moving forward.”

At a community meeting last week, LIRR officials showed local residents and civic leaders the architectural renderings of a project that promises to transform the deteriorating train station, built in 1961, into a bright and modern commuter-friendly facility.

Hicksville Station is the LIRR’s busiest line station with 22,000 customer trips per weekday. Both Ronkonkoma Branch trains and Port Jefferson Branch trains pass through Hicksville every day as do selected Montauk Branch trains. The station is also served by major NICE commuter bus routes running north and south on Route 106 and Route 107.

The station rehabilitation is forecast to cost $68.7 million. The MTA will invest another $52.3 million for a less visible but equally important part of the project - the construction of the Hicksville North Track Siding, an additional track along the existing railroad right-of way that will support the LIRR’s plans for faster and more frequent service when its East Side Access Project is completed in 2022. East Side Access will carry LIRR riders into Grand Central Terminal on the East Side of Manhattan for the first time.

Senator Jack M. Martins said: “This is a tremendous investment that will benefit both the Hicksville community and Long Island as a whole. The Hicksville station is a transit hub that serves millions of riders each year. Overhauling and upgrading the infrastructure at Long Island’s busiest train station will improve service, create jobs, and enhance the quality of life for commuters. I’m pleased to see this important project moving forward.”

Assemblyman Michael Montesano said: “I am thrilled that the Long Island Rail Road station in Hicksville will finally receive the renovations that it has desperately needed for many years. This comprehensive project will greatly enhance services for all travelers – daily commuters and visitors alike. From its new modern design to its state-of-the-art technology, the station will be transformed into a more safe and efficient stop on the LIRR line. I thank the MTA and the LIRR for working together on this project and look forward to all the benefits its completion will bring to our community.”

MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said: “The LIRR’s Hicksville revitalization project is a prime example of how the MTA uses its Capital Plan to benefit the people and the communities that it services. In the short term, construction means jobs. Long term, Hicksville will have a station to be proud of, improved train service and the prospect of new development that could offer property tax relief for current homeowners.”



LIRR President Patrick A. Nowakowski noted that the agency will work closely with the Town of Oyster Bay to accommodate weekend work that is necessary to carry out the construction. Construction is not expected to impact weekday service.

The Long Island Rail Road reached Hicksville on March 1, 1837 and the current station, now more than 50 years old, is plagued by poor drainage and cracked concrete as well as elevators and escalators that are nearing the end of their useful lives.

Hicksville Station Project Overview: $68.7 Million

The LIRR’s plan calls for construction completion in 2019 with a design that will almost completely recast the station with new platforms, new fully – heated, glass-enclosed platform waiting rooms, new lighting, new translucent canopy roof, new stairways, elevators and escalators, a new video security system, audio and digital communications systems and new signage. It also includes a new street-level plaza and entrance to the waiting room/ticket office. MTA Arts & Design plans to enhance the station with an artist designed ceramic mosaic murals and laminated art glass.

Hicksville North Track Siding Project: $52.3 Million

This project includes the installation of over three thousand feet of new track, power and signal work. This effort will connect Track 1 at Hicksville to an existing track siding situated about one-half mile west of the station platform. The connection will enable the LIRR to add three trains to the AM and PM Peak service between Hicksville and Manhattan when Grand Central Terminal opens to the LIRR with the completion of the East Side Access project in 2022. It will also improve the Railroad's ability to reroute trains in the event of maintenance, construction or service disruptions.

Finally, the LIRR will modernize the signal system at Divide Tower, located just east of Hicksville Station. Divide controls all train movement on the Huntington/Port Jefferson and the Ronkonkoma Branches east of Hicksville

The design for the Hicksville Station revitalization was done by AECOM, a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environment, energy, water and government.