Rockaway Beach, NY – Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Beach) today praised Governor Cuomo’s “New JFK” vision, which includes improved transit, a unified terminal and upgraded security. Pheffer Amato urged Cuomo to include the Rockaway Beach Rail Line, or QueensRail, connecting JFK with Midtown Manhattan, as a central component of the multi-agency, $10 billion overhaul.

“My predecessor, Phil Goldfeder, relentlessly campaigned for this straightforward upgrade to our transit system,” said Pheffer Amato. “Currently there is a feasibility study being conducted, likely to be published in June. We are calling on the Legislature, the Governor, DOT, MTA, and all other relevant bodies to keep the RBRL a top priority as we implement upgrades to JFK.”

The Rockaway Peninsula is connected by two tolled bridges to the mainland, one of which is concurrent with a subway line. Options for getting to other parts of New York City are limited, indirect, and often tolled. Travel times to Manhattan run upwards of one hour. By contrast, the Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) provided continuous transit service to Manhattan from 1880 to 1962. For 82 years, via the Rockaway Beach Branch, the commute to Manhattan from the Rockaways was about 40 minutes.

The same lines are still available, according to transit experts, needing only to be cleaned, updated and reactivated to reconnect the Peninsula to the LIRR rail system. Since Superstorm Sandy in 2011, the area has made a concerted and well-received effort to rebuild, and the popularity of the Peninsula has exploded. The resultant influx of people, schools and businesses has created a more vibrant economy, placing gigantic strain on the region’s aging transit infrastructure.

“Not a day goes by when I don’t talk to a constituent about traffic congestion and the maddening indirectness of getting to Manhattan from here,” said Pheffer Amato. “Queens is a transit desert, badly in need of more options. The Rockaways in particular are becoming what they once were – a vibrant, affordable, attractive center of population growth.

“All we need to do to take cars off the road, restore direct transit and save 40 minutes of commute time daily is reactivate an old line, for which right-of-way is already available,” she continued. “I plan to make sure this simple, crucial support for Southern Queens families, businesses, and air travelers is kept at the center of our JFK upgrade process.”