The argument for bringing back rail use to a decommissioned stretch of the Long Island Rail Road Rockaway Beach Line has advanced one notch today. The stretch in question is, of course, the same track being eyed for the QueensWay, an elevated park proposed by The Trust For Public Land. As it turns out, the public the park would largely be serving would rather see the tracks serve their intended use as a rail line, according to a new study led by Rockaway Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (who, it must be noted, is pro-rail). Capital NY reports that the survey is based on a limited pool of 363 residents and 44 businesses, with 33.9 percent those surveyed saying they'd rather see the tracks shuttling passengers again, as opposed to the 28.1 percent who are for the park.

Remaining survey participants are split between those who'd like to see a combination of rail and park, and those who'd like to see the line left as-is. Meanwhile, Friends of the QueensWay is in the midsts of conducting a feasibility study for their plan, with results expected before the end of the year. recently issued the results of their feasibility study, and found that the park can move forward at the cost of $122 million.

Rockaway Beach Branch Community Impact Study

· Survey: Queens residents prefer railway to QueensWay [Capital NY]

· Rockaway Beach Branch Community Impact Study [Scribd]

· A Detailed Blueprint for Queens' $122M 'High Line,' Revealed! [Curbed]

· All QueensWay coverage [Curbed]