New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF, WE - Sag Harbor) today announced that the Assembly Budget Plan released today includes $500,000 for the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton for “Last Mile” transportation, as part of the South Fork Commuter Connection. The Assembly will vote today to approve its budget proposal.

The South Fork Commuter Connection would provide week day commuter service from Speonk to Montauk on a year round basis. Under the plan, the LIRR has tentatively agreed to provide 3 east bound trains in the morning and 3 westbound trains in the afternoon to service commuters working on the South Fork. Those trains would be paid for through the LIRR budget.

Critical to the plan’s success is the provision of so-called “last mile” service to get commuters from the train stations to their work place. The Towns of East Hampton and Southampton would provide this service by contracting with one or more transportation companies. Such service could be bus shuttles, ride sharing, taxis or a combination, thereof, to get commuters to their work place. It is anticipated that the Town will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for this service.

The State and the Towns would share the cost of “last mile” service on a 50/50 basis. The $500,000 proposed in the Assembly Budget Plan would be used to cover the state share of “last mile” transportation. A portion of the state funding would also be available to the Towns for a public information and marketing campaign to educate the public about the details of the South Fork Commuter Connection.

The Assembly proposal for the commuter service would also have to be accepted by the State Senate and the Governor as part of the final State Budget to be adopted by April 1.

In related news, Thiele also announced that after meeting with the LIRR last week, the probable start date for the new service would be February 2019, less than a year from now.

Thiele stated, “We continue to get closer to making commuter rail service for South Fork workers a reality. The benefits are substantial. The plan will reduce traffic congestion to the South Fork, including the adverse impacts from automobile congestion on the environment. The service will also make it easier for South Fork businesses to recruit and retain employees by providing an alternative, faster, and less stressful commute to the South Fork. I thank LIRR President Patrick Nowakowski and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for supporting this initiative.”