The East Side Access is a massive project that will be a tremendous boost to the Queens Real Estate Market. This project originally envisioned in 2006 will be Extending between Sunnyside, Queens and Grand Central Station in Manhattan. This new tunnel will route the LIRR from its Main Line through new track connections in Sunnyside Yard and through the lower level of the existing 63rd Street Tunnel under the East River. The new LIRR terminal at Grand Central, will be located 14 stories below ground featuring four platforms, eight tracks, and 350,000′ of retail and dining options.
This project that was originally planned to be opened in 2009 has encountered countless budget increase and delays. It is now slated to open in 2019 but time will tell if this will come into fruition. When the East Side Access is finally completed it will truly create a massive positive impact to the Queens Real Estate Market.
New Sunnyside station
A new LIRR train station in Sunnyside at Queens Boulevard and Skillman Avenue along the Northeast Corridor (which the LIRR uses to get into Pennsylvania Station) will be built, which will provide one-stop access for area residents to Midtown Manhattan
Jamaica Station
A new Platform F is being constructed south of the existing LIRR platforms at Jamaica station, which, along with yard and track improvements, will increase capacity and facilitate service to Brooklyn by eliminating crossovers and converting the section of the Atlantic Branch from Jamaica to the Atlantic Terminal into a shuttle service. This new Service will provide direct service to Grand Central Station in approximately 12 minutes. Currently there is only direct service to Penn Station from Jamaica Station.
The new platform at Jamaica, slated to open in 2019, will provide an uninterrupted second track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, and a third track on the Main Line from Floral Park to Hicksville, as well as the East Side Access project to bring LIRR trains into Grand Central Terminal. Once East Side Access is complete, the new platform at Jamaica station will dramatically enhance service between Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn and Jamaica Station, enabling shuttle trains to depart every 7½ minutes during rush hour and every 15 minutes during off-peak hours, which will provide a significantly higher level of service than that available under current timetables.
Main Line Third Track
Related to the MTA’s East Side Access project is its long-planned widening of the two-track LIRR Main Line by adding a third track. This Track will extend through Queens and will directly impact Queens Village in a positive manner as well. n January 2016, Governor Cuomo and the MTA announced plans to restart construction of the Main Line third track. As of February 2016, an expected completion date has not been announced fo
r the Main Line third track.
