Located on the northern edge of the Belmont Park redevelopment site, the 19,000-sq-ft, three-level station is the Long Island Rail Road’s first new passenger facility in nearly 50 years. Each of the two canopied 1,020-ft-long precast concrete passenger platforms, located above the busy Cross Island Parkway, can accommodate up to 12 train cars. A snowmelt system embedded in the platforms ensures passengers can access trains during severe weather.

The challenge of minimizing disruptions to railroad operations throughout construction was further complicated by COVID-19, requiring flexibility to overcome supply chain issues and shipping delays to deliver the station on time and on budget. Carefully planned weekend closures of the parkway enabled the team to safely install seven pairs of steel girders to support the platforms. The beam pairs were spliced together to create a full span that was then loaded atop a self-propelled modular transporter and rolled into place.

Another challenge involved placing a 20-ft-wide, 175,000-lb pedestrian bridge 25 ft above the four-track corridor to connect the eastbound and westbound platforms. The team made the most of a brief Saturday morning window between regularly scheduled trains, rigging a lattice boom crawler crane and spreader beam to lift and set the bridge with no disruption to rail traffic.

The station provides amenities such as information screens, device charging stations and Wi-Fi.