Elmont-UBS Arena
The Elmont-UBS Arena station, as seen in 2023
General information
Location	Superior Road Elmont & Belelrose Terrace, New York
Coordinates	40°43′12″N 73°43′34″W / 40.720007°N 73.726182°W / 40.720007; -73.726182
Owned by	Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)	Main Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	New York City Bus: Q2, Q36 MTA Bus: Q110 Nassau Inter-County Express: n1, n6, n24
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	4
History
Opened	November 20, 2021 (eastbound service, event days only) October 6, 2022 (westbound service) [1]
Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Queens Village toward Penn Station, Grand Central or Atlantic Terminal Hempstead Branch Bellerose toward Hempstead Jamaica toward Penn Station, Grand Central or Long Island City Port Jefferson Branch limited service New Hyde Park toward Port Jefferson Jamaica toward Penn Station or Grand Central Ronkonkoma Branch limited service Mineola toward Greenport       Oyster Bay Branch does not stop here       Montauk Branch does not stop here

Elmont-UBS Arena (also known as Elmont) is a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station in Elmont and Bellerose Terrace, New York, just east of the Nassau County border with the New York City borough of Queens. It serves the LIRR Main Line and was built as part of the redevelopment of Belmont Park, which included the construction of the UBS Arena for the NHL's New York Islanders hockey team. The station opened for eastbound service in November 2021 and westbound service in October 2022.

History

Plans for the station were first announced in July 2019 by then-New York governor Andrew Cuomo. New York Arena Partners, the main party behind the Belmont Park redevelopment, will pay $97 million of the estimated $105 million cost, with the balance being paid by the state. ^{[2] [3]} The eastbound platform opened on November 20, 2021. The westbound platform is set to open in late 2022. ^[4] When completed, it will be the first completely new LIRR station since 1976, when the now-dismantled Southampton College station opened. ^[3] It currently is served by eastbound Hempstead Branch trains on event days only; full-time service is expected to begin after the westbound platform is completed in 2022. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

The project is seen as vital to the Belmont Park redevelopment. ^[7] Though the Elmont station will serve a portion of Elmont that does not currently have full-time train service, opponents of UBS Arena have claimed that the station plans conceal the real motivation behind building the arena. ^[8]

The LIRR's officials stated that they did not expect the new Elmont station to generate new commuter ridership – but that the station would instead result in a shift of existing riders living in Bellerose Terrace and Elmont who previously used other stations. With the operation of the Elmont station, existing levels of commuter service to other LIRR stations (e.g., Queens Village, Bellerose, Floral Park) has been maintained, and officials further stated that the addition of the Elmont-UBS Arena station would not result in an impact to commuter service. ^[9]

On November 20, 2021, the eastbound platform opened for the Islanders' first game at UBS Arena that night. ^{[10] [11]} While construction of the westbound platform continued, customers were required to use free shuttle buses or walk to UBS Arena or Belmont Park station until the westbound platform opened the following year. ^{[12] [13]} The westbound platform officially opened on October 6, 2022, for the Islanders– Devils preseason game that night. ^{[14] [15]}

On February 8, 2023, the LIRR announced that the Elmont-UBS Arena station would be served by trains on the Port Jefferson Branch as far as Huntington and on the Ronkonkoma Branch, with limited service during peak hours and most trains stopping during weekday evening or weekend hours. ^{[16] [17]} As of April 2024, service is primarily provided by trains on the Hempstead Branch, with the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Branches providing limited service. ^[18]

Station layout

Platform level	Platform A, side platform
	Track 3	←       Hempstead Branch toward Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station ( Queens Village)
	Track 1	←       Main Line services do not stop here →
	Track 2	←       Main Line services do not stop here →
	Track 4	←       Hempstead Branch toward Hempstead ( Bellerose) →
	Platform B, side platform
G	Ground level	Exit/entrance and buses

This station has two 12-car-long side platforms, both of which are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Unlike the Belmont Park station directly to the south, it is able to serve Main Line trains from both the west and east. The station also includes platform canopies, LED signs, benches, USB charging ports, bike racks, and art.

The station is located directly east of (and partially over) the overpass across the Cross Island Parkway. ^[4] The location of the station gives platform access on the Bellerose Terrace side via an overpass.

References