LIRR announces South Fork upgrades, including permanent Hampton Bays platform and Amagansett siding

The Long Island Rail Road said this week it plans infrastructure upgrades intended to increase train service on the South Fork, including making the temporary Hampton Bays platform permanent and building a siding at Amagansett to allow trains to pass each other.

"We're always looking ways to improve our service," LIRR leadership said in a press conference quoted on East End News. The railroad identified roughly 44 miles of single track in parts of the East End as a major operational constraint and said a combination of new sidings and remote switch operation will let opposing trains run at the same time where they could not before.

The railroad said Amagansett is in the design phase and the work should get underway in early 2028; the timing for Hampton Bays was described as less defined. LIRR officials tied the infrastructure work to the arrival of "diesel new diesel coaches" planned for the next capital program and said the upgrades are intended to enable expanded service once the coaches and track work are in place.

The announcement was reported by East End News and attributed to the railroad's press conference. No formal schedule of construction milestones or funding sources was included in the broadcast; the LIRR quote on the single-track mileage and the planned projects was presented on air.