CarlsonCorp, Inc. is a family-owned business that employs more than 75 area residents and has proudly called Kings Park home since the 1880s.
On August 15, 2024, the Surface Transportation Board filed its decision approving Townline Rail Terminal to construct and operate a new rail line in Smithtown, Suffolk County, NY, subject to environmental mitigation conditions.
While the STB conducted public information sessions to gather comment on the project, we have heard misinformation and a number of misconceptions in the community.
We thought you would want to learn the facts:
- The proposed Townline Rail Terminal only involves one train in and one train out per day (up to 27 cars maximum). That’s it. There will be no trains arriving or departing on weekends.
- The proposed rail line and sidetracks are for rail car storage and maneuverability — NOT the anticipation of additional arrivals or departures.
- The rail cars themselves will not have engines so they will not idle or make continual noise when sitting in the yard. The rail cars will be moved by a small vehicle the size of a minibus.
- The work site will be below the grade of the surrounding property to minimize disruption. We are also planning natural berms and buffers.
- The Townline Rail Terminal will load and unload materials into the rail cars during our regular daytime business hours, Monday through Saturday. This will not be a 24-hour operation.
- Loading and unloading of incinerated ash will occur in a state-of-the-art transfer station which will reduce dust, noise, and odors. The rail cars hauling ash will have secure steel lids.
- The material being loaded and removed from the proposed Townline Rail Terminal is NOT classified as a hazardous material. These materials are highly regulated and tested continually by New York State. Any materials containing asbestos, by law, may NOT be disposed of at the facility.
- At present, there are five active or proposed train transport facilities on Long Island, all of which will provide local solutions to managing ash and debris. Townline Rail Terminal is a solution for the Towns of Smithtown and Huntington.
- The proposed project is expected to save taxpayers HALF of what the cost will be to truck materials off Long Island in the future and result in a REDUCTION in the amount of materials turned into compost on-site.
The best option for the future
The Townline Rail Terminal is an environmentally preferred alternative to trucking materials off Long Island. It will result in reduced emissions and traffic congestion. The Town of Smithtown recognizes that
rail is a better option to trucking once the Brookhaven Landfill closes in 2028. We are very early in the planning process and look forward to meeting with the community in the coming months.