AUXIO TV

Tag: transportation

  • LIRR to Replace Overnight Trains With Buses Between Babylon and Montauk for Three Nights

    LIRR to Replace Overnight Trains With Buses Between Babylon and Montauk for Three Nights

    SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Long Island Rail Road passengers traveling to and from the East End will face overnight service changes next week, with buses replacing trains between Babylon and Montauk for three consecutive nights.

    According to an MTA/LIRR service notice published by the Town of Southampton, the changes will be in effect Tuesday, September 22 through Thursday, September 24, from approximately 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. each night.

    Replacement buses will serve passengers along the Montauk Branch while the overnight train service is suspended. The notice divides bus service into three zones, including service covering Bellport through Southampton and another covering Bridgehampton through Montauk.

    The arrangement means some trips will take longer than normal, and riders should pay close attention to which replacement-bus zone serves their destination. According to the notice, passengers will not be able to make local trips between stations located in different bus zones during the affected hours.

    Westbound passengers should also plan to leave earlier because replacement buses are scheduled to depart ahead of the corresponding regular train times.

    The last trains scheduled to operate before the nightly service change include the 8:36 p.m. departure from Babylon and the 9:07 p.m. departure from Speonk. Regular train service is scheduled to resume with the 4:10 a.m. departure from Speonk following the overnight work period.

    The changes are particularly relevant for passengers traveling through Southampton Town and farther east, where the Montauk Branch provides the primary LIRR connection for communities across the South Fork.

    Riders traveling during the affected periods should allow additional time and check current LIRR schedules before leaving for their station.

  • DeStefano Pushes for More State Funding to Repair Local Roads and Infrastructure

    DeStefano Pushes for More State Funding to Repair Local Roads and Infrastructure

    SUFFOLK COUNTY — New York State Assemblyman Joe DeStefano is backing increased state investment in local roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure, arguing that communities across Long Island need more help keeping aging infrastructure safe and reliable.

    DeStefano joined lawmakers from both the Assembly and Senate in supporting additional funding for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program, known as CHIPS, which provides state money directly to municipalities for road and highway projects. 

    For Suffolk County communities, CHIPS funding can help local governments repair deteriorating roads, address potholes, improve bridges and complete transportation projects without placing the entire financial burden on local taxpayers.

    DeStefano has framed the issue as more than routine road maintenance.

    “The CHIPS program is vital to maintaining our roads, bridges and transportation networks,” DeStefano said in announcing his support for increased funding. He also tied infrastructure investment to stronger communities, job creation and public safety. 

    Local Roads, Local Impact

    Infrastructure funding can have an immediate effect on residents because many of the roads people use every day are maintained by towns, villages and other local governments rather than directly by the state.

    Those municipalities face rising construction, labor and material costs while still being expected to maintain miles of roadway.

    Additional CHIPS funding allows more of those costs to be supported through the state budget.

    For DeStefano, who represents New York’s 3rd Assembly District in Suffolk County, that makes infrastructure funding an affordability issue as well as a transportation issue.

    More state support can reduce pressure on local governments to fund major road projects entirely through local revenue.

    Public Safety Connection

    Road conditions also have a direct connection to public safety.

    Deteriorated pavement, damaged shoulders and aging infrastructure can create hazards for motorists, pedestrians, emergency vehicles and school transportation.

    DeStefano has argued that investment in roads and bridges should therefore be viewed as part of the state’s broader responsibility to keep communities safe.

    His support for CHIPS also fits into a broader legislative agenda focused on public safety, affordability and local government needs. His official Assembly page shows that those themes have remained central to his work throughout the 2025–26 legislative session. 

    Bringing State Dollars Back to Local Communities

    The importance of programs such as CHIPS is ultimately straightforward: state tax dollars return to local communities for projects residents can see and use every day.

    For Suffolk residents, that means repaired roads, stronger bridges and infrastructure improvements that can otherwise be difficult for municipalities to finance on their own.

    DeStefano’s position is that Albany should continue increasing those investments rather than forcing local governments to absorb more of the cost.

    For a district where residents depend heavily on automobiles and local road networks, that is a tangible issue with an immediate impact on quality of life.