The Town is pursuing an opportunity for private investment in the development of Long Island MacArthur Airport and intermodal connection from the airport terminal to Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) Ronkonkoma Station.

• The Town desires to work with a private partner with relevant experience to act as the developer of the project and to advance planning and then develop, design, finance, operate, and maintain a terminal and LIRR connector using available project revenues and private finance – without reliance on Town funds
• The Town anticipates using a progressive delivery approach for the terminal and connector opportunity. Upon completion of the RFQ, the Town will pursue an RFP process to select one or more Preferred Proposers to enter into a Pre-Development Agreement to advance design and planning before a final contract.

The Terminal and Rail Integration opportunity consists of two options on which the Proposer may propose, (1) the development of either a new terminal located at the north side of the Airport property, with a climate-controlled connection to the LIRR Ronkonkoma Station, or (2) a renovation and modernization of the existing terminal area on the south side of the Airport’s property with a dedicated connection to the Station.

1. The first option is to develop, design, finance, operate, and maintain a new terminal and associated infrastructure and amenities within the North Development Area. This area is located on the north side of the Airport and development of the North Terminal Option must include a direct, climate-controlled connection to the LIRR Ronkonkoma Station.
2. The second option is to develop, design, finance, operate, and maintain a renovation, modernization, and expansion of the existing terminal along with a direct and dedicated connection from the LIRR Ronkonkoma Station to the Existing Terminal (“Terminal Connector”) in order to create a similar train-to-plane connection experience for Station users. The Terminal Connector may not use public roadways; however, Airport property may be utilized.

1. The Town is pleased that the State and Governor Kathy Hochul have announced an investment by the State of $150 million in infrastructure around the Station. The funds will be used to improve existing, and add new, infrastructure such as roads and utility services. There has been no commitment with regard to specific projects that will be funded, including whether any of the funds are available to assist with creating a direct connection to ISP. In submitting their SOQ response, Proposers should assume that no funding is available for the terminal connection required by this RFQ.
2. In addition, Suffolk County announced an additional $50 million investment into infrastructure around Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) Ronkonkoma Station.
3. Furthermore, in 2025, Amtrak confirmed that it also was conducting a feasibility study for new service on Long Island that would include the LIRR Ronkonkoma Station. The service would connect Long Island to Amtrak’s network.
4. In 2023, L.I. MacArthur Airport served more than 1.3 million passengers on three airlines – Southwest, Breeze and Frontier. JetBlue’s new service, which began in 2024, and Avelo Airlines new service, beginning in 2025, proves that Long Islanders have discovered the MacArthur Airport advantage, and that passenger levels will keep growing.

As LI MacArthur Airport is a vital economic driver for all of Long Island, and in context of proposed investments from the State, County and Amtrak, an integrated, convenient, and state-of-the-art terminal will further enhance MacArthur as an option of choice for airlines, concessions, and passengers, and will further stimulate innovative investment in the area.

The terminal project is being planned so that it can become operational within 5 years.

Long Island MacArthur has enough property that it can relocate the terminal on what is essentially a greenfield site without any new land acquisition. The availability of a site will allow an accelerated construction schedule and far reduced costs compared to other area airports.

The proposed Terminal and Rail integration plan would make the airport more accessible for travelers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, as well as to those traveling to or from New York City.

The terminal would increase convenient and timely access to the Airport and attract passengers through direct, reliable, and efficient connections to the Ronkonkoma LIRR station, making the airport just a 50-minute train ride from midtown Manhattan.

Terminal and Rail Integration at Long Island MacArthur Airport will allow the airport to be the first and only regional airport with direct one-seat plane-to-train access to both Grand Central and Penn Stations in Manhattan as well as numerous Long Island employment centers. This will allow ISP to capture a larger market share from passengers in Manhattan who do not have ready access to private automobiles.

This terminal will also accommodate growth for the foreseeable future, making ISP an even more attractive alternative for airlines and travelers. It will be sustainable, scalable and resilient, embodying the Town’s energy and cultural feel.

The terminal will provide direct pedestrian access to the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma Station, the second busiest station in the system. With recent upgrades in the rail line, there will be regular trains with 30-minute headway, to Penn Station and Grand Central Station in Manhattan. Travel will take less than an hour to midtown Manhattan.

Amtrak is also conducting a feasibility study to provide service from Ronkonkoma to DC and Boston, improving intermodal connectivity to the region.

The Town is seeking to engage a private entity to develop, design, finance, operate, and maintain the terminal and Station connection in order to benefit from the resources, knowledge, and innovation available through a public-private partnership.

The Town’s overall goal is to create a state-of-the art, terminal and Station connection that will increase passenger traffic at the Airport, and benefit local residents, and provide a customer experience that is equal to or better than today.