Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of customer engagement for the project to reimagine Jamaica Station in Queens. This customer survey will be used to guide planning for the much-needed redesign of this critical transportation hub that serves 200,000 daily riders on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), AirTrain JFK and New York City subways and buses. Recognizing the need for a redesign of Jamaica Station, the Governor’s Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 includes $50 million to fund planning for the project, which will be conducted jointly by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
“Jamaica Station is a critical hub for hundreds of thousands of riders each day, from Long Island Rail Road commuters, to residents of Southeast Queens, to air travelers from around the globe — these riders deserve a world-class transit experience,” Governor Hochul said. “We know that Jamaica Station can be so much more than it is today, and by advancing this customer survey, we’ll have the insights of the riders who use it to help guide a long overdue redesign that transforms the customer experience and delivers Southeast Queens an integrated, best-in-class station for all who use it.”
Jamaica Station is integral to the commutes of millions of New Yorkers, enabling workers and students in Queens to get to school and jobs, allowing travelers to get to and from Long Island, ensuring travelers from around the world can efficiently and affordably get to JFK Airport, and connecting New Yorkers to world-class sporting and entertainment events. More than 1,000 subways and LIRR trains pass through Jamaica Station every weekday with 200,000 passengers relying on them for transit, making it the fourth busiest commuter rail station in North America — surpassed only by Grand Central, Penn Station and Toronto’s Union Station. Yet Jamaica Station has been left far behind in terms of customer experience and investment; it was last upgraded 23 years ago, when the AirTrain JFK began operation in 2003…