Babylon LIRR station platforms reopen, $127 million overhaul advances

Babylon commuters got a key payoff from the $127 million LIRR station overhaul this week: both reconstructed 12-car platforms reopened ahead of peak summer ridership, restoring full platform use at one of the South Shore’s busiest transit points. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the work remains on schedule and on budget, with substantial completion still expected in December 2026.

The reopening matters far beyond the station platform. Babylon carries about 5,000 daily riders and serves as the terminal on the Babylon Branch, making it a critical transfer point for Montauk Branch service and for travelers moving across eastern Long Island. For Suffolk County commuters, that means the station’s condition shapes the daily trip into and out of downtown Babylon, while also affecting summer travel patterns when rail demand rises. The station itself is about 62 years old, and the railroad has served the community for 159 years, underscoring how long this location has carried the region’s commuting load.

The project began in September 2024 and was completed in two major eight-month phases, with crews working seven days a week to keep the station operating. The MTA said the work was phased to avoid the busiest months from May through September, a decision that limited disruption but still forced riders to navigate a construction zone for nearly two years. Even so, agency leaders said service continued with only minor changes. Janno Lieber said the authority reopened all platforms with “virtually zero impact to riders.”

The overhaul has already delivered several concrete improvements that should make daily trips easier, safer and more accessible. Completed work includes two new ADA-compliant elevators, rehabilitation of two existing elevators, replacement of two escalators, rebuilt center island platforms, new canopy work, new platform lighting, stairwell replacements and station plaza upgrades. Those changes are aimed at reducing congestion, improving circulation and making the station more usable for riders with mobility needs, especially during busy arrivals and departures.

More work is still scheduled through the end of 2026, including escalator replacement, elevator rehabilitation, waiting room and canopy finishes, bathroom renovations, ADA door upgrades, viaduct railing replacement and an automated snow-and-ice-melting system. Babylon is one of three stations in LIRR ADA Package 2, alongside Forest Hills and Hollis, and part of a broader accessibility push that the MTA says totals more than $5.5 billion in its 2020-2024 capital program. For Babylon, the reopening shows what a major transit investment can deliver when it keeps pace with daily service and starts giving riders back usable space before the job is fully finished.