Mastic-Shirley LIRR station gets $7.5M overhaul

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Elected officials joined executives and staff of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and construction contractors Wednesday to announce “substantial completion” of a $7.5 million renovation project at the Mastic-Shirley station. 

This project, which began in Dec. 2023, added a new sheltered 2,000-square-foot-plaza area featuring historic photos where the 65-year-old station building used to be, a reconstructed platform shelter, new LED lighting, illuminated bollards, a digital information screen and an upgraded security and communication system, according to an MTA statement. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Mastic-Shirley customers to a brighter and spruced-up station,” LIRR President Rob Free said in the statement. “This renovation is a reminder of the importance of a fully funded capital plan, which will allow us to continue to upgrade our system.”

The renovations also included repairs to the concrete platform concrete and the ADA accessible ramp, and the installation of replaced a new wave-shaped bike rack. Railings were refinished and repainted. There is also new station signage, an LIRR system map, new benches, granite seating and granite planter. 

“We’re proud to deliver another on-budget improvement project for Long Islanders,” MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer said. “The reconstructed platform shelter and new station shelter plaza at Mastic-Shirley create a well-lit and welcoming area for customers, and our state of good repair work allows this station to better serve Suffolk County for generations to come.” 

The Montauk branch station reboot was welcomed by civic groups and local business leaders who hope the project serves as a harbinger of the area’s rebirth. A proposed 37-acre redevelopment of downtown Mastic Beach by the Beechwood Organization lies about 3 miles south of the Mastic-Shirley LIRR station. That project emerged from the Town of Brookhaven’s master plan unveiled in Nov. 2022 that aims to transform the area along Neighborhood Road into a walkable and vibrant downtown, with new housing, retail shops, restaurants, services and public gathering spaces.   

“I’m thrilled that we’re finally here, that we’re here to celebrate this occasion,” Brookhaven Council Member Karen Dunne Kesnig said in the statement. “It was much needed in this community and I’m extremely thankful to the community groups, particularly the William Floyd Community Summit and the Mastic-Shirley Chamber, who were part of this process the entire time, and Brookhaven Town Historian Barbara Russell, who helped choose all the pictures that are up there. So, anyone waiting for a train, take your time and look at the pictures, because they show the history of this area.”