Forum newsgroup photo by Luis Gronda Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder talks with members of Community Board 6 about why he believes reviving the LIRR line running from the Rockaways to Manhattan would be the best option for Queens.
In the continuing discussion of what to do with vacant rail line in southern and central Queens, one elected official said that reviving the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) line would be a boon to both sections of the borough.
At Community Board 6’s monthly meeting last week, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder visited the board that covers Forest Hills and Rego Park to speak about why he believes the LIRR line should be revitalized.
There has been much banter, from both local elected officials and residents, about what to do with the vacant area. Some are advocating that it be turned into the QueensWay, an elevated bike trail similar to the High Line in Manhattan, while others are petitioning for the train line to run once again.
Supporters of QueensWay presented at CB 6’s November meeting and this was Goldfeder’s chance to talk about the other idea for the same 3.5 mile stretch of land.
The assemblyman’s main selling point about the train line is that it would help make traveling easier for residents who live in southern neighborhoods like the Rockaways and Howard Beach and area to the north like Forest Hills, Rego Park and Kew Gardens.
“The key is to create ability for mobility,” Goldfeder said.
He added that it would better allow people who live in areas like Far Rockaway to travel to Forest Hills and do their shopping in the local businesses and eat at the many restaurants that exist in the area if they choose to do so.”
“Unfortunately, in southern Queens, we don’t have the shopping that you have in Forest Hills,” Goldfeder reminded the crowd. “But if I live in Rockaway and I want to get on a subway and come shop in your stores, in the local businesses, and I want to support local Queens neighborhoods, I can’t get here.”
In contrast, he said that residents residing in north Queens neighborhoods could get to places like Rockaway Beach in a shorter amount of time and avoid paying the Cross Bay bridge toll to get into the peninsula.
He also argued that it would cut traffic down on major thoroughfares such as Woodhaven and Cross Bay boulevards, which sees a high volume of cars and traffic every day.
But opponents argued that a revived train line would have negative effects on places like Forest Hills.
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) said that the train line would cause increased congestion and pollution in the Forest Hills/Rego Park area and that many residents already complain about the LIRR trains that run through Forest Hills and Kew Gardens.
“I can’t begin to tell you how many calls I get in the course of a week…people complaining about the railroad going very fast and blowing their horn. They call me constantly,” she said, adding that she hasn’t come out in support of the QueensWay either.
CB 6 member Steve Goldberg, who lives near the LIRR line that currently runs in Forest Hills, echoed Koslowitz’s sentiments saying that with the combination of the train zipping by and airplanes flying near his house during the summer months, he cannot have a conversation in his own home.
“This is not a slight inconvenience, it’s a continued inconvenience,” Goldberg said.
Another CB 6 member, Barbara Stuchinski, wondered how revitalizing the train line would be paid for and how feasible is it.
In response, Goldfeder said that while any amount of noise a train line could bring would not be ideal for residents who live near it, the trade-off of having public transportation that would cut commuting time to central Queens and Manhattan would outweigh that negative.
By Luis Gronda
