Photo Courtesy of QPTC
Members of the Queens Public Transit Committee recently presented the QueensRail plan to the New Hamilton Beach Civic Association.
By Michael V. Cusenza
An area civic association that focuses on borough transportation issues recently ramped up efforts to secure public support for its plan to reactivate the long-defunct Rockaway Beach Rail Line by detailing the proposal at local venues and promoting an online petition.
Members of the Queens Public Transit Committee last Thursday presented the QueensRail plan to the New Hamilton Beach Civic Association. The group voted unanimously to support the concept, according to QPTC First Vice President Mike Scala.
“The momentum is on our side because it’s a good idea,” Scala said. “There are those who claim it will cost too much money, but they find billions of dollars for transportation in Manhattan.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has planned a feasibility study of the reactivation of the Line – an abandoned, 4-mile spur that was put into service in the late 19th Century under the control of the Long Island Rail Road. The RBRL connected Rockaway and southern Queens with Rego Park, provided area residents with expedient access to other parts of the city and 40-minute commutes to Midtown Manhattan from the Peninsula. In the early 1960s, parts of the railroad service were condensed, sectioned off, and eventually closed in 1962.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the “QueensRail – Better Transportation for Queens” petition has garnered 264 signatures out of a stated goal of 1,000.
For more information, visit ipetitions.com/petition/queensrail-better-transportation-for-queens.
