Triple Five, Calverton’s developer, launches a review of rail options

Triple Five CAT principal Justin Ghermezian (right) walks the railyard at Calverton with Andrew Kaufman, president of Brookhaven Rail Terminal, as they discuss the opportunities for rail freight at the former Grumman flight center. Ghermezian’s company is entrusted by the Town of Riverhead with redeveloping the former Grumman test center at Calverton. He explained, “Exploring how best to make use of the existing rail infrastructure would create considerable environmental and economic benefits for the Town of Riverhead.”

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As plans proceed by Triple Five’s Calverton Aviation Technology (CAT), to redevelop the former Calverton Flight Test Center into a strategic economic engine for the Town of Riverhead, the company is envisioning how best to utilize the existing freight rail infrastructure initially built to support Grumman’s manufacturing of Navy jets during the height of the Cold War.

In a letter to MTA leadership and New York and Atlantic Railway executives, the current operator of all rail freight on the Long Island Rail Road, Triple Five CAT principal Justin Ghermezian stated, “Exploring how best to make use of the existing rail infrastructure would create considerable environmental and economic benefits for the Town of Riverhead. It would enhance the viability for a return of manufacturing to the Calverton property, where goods and services would arrive and depart by train rather than trucks. The benefits would be obvious, immediate, and underscore the strategic location of the Calverton property as one capable of leveraging rail to strengthen the economy of the East End.”

Triple Five CAT is entrusted by the Town of Riverhead with redeveloping the former Grumman test center at Calverton. Their efforts during 2023 are aimed at a sweeping reinvention of the property as an economic engine powering job growth, investment, manufacturing, research and development and technology innovation.

“The beneficial role of freight rail on Long Island is already obvious in Yaphank, where a private rail yard serves the region and brings in a broad range of commodities and construction materials. The LIRR’s recently completed Second and Third Tracks modernization program brings further options for rail scheduling to our Calverton site,” continued Ghermezian.

The company not only seeks to explore the current rail facilities but how rail improvements on the property could leverage the existing infrastructure even further, offering unprecedented opportunities for the business community to move products and goods on and off Long Island by firms that will make their home at the Calverton Innovation Hub.

Rail freight experts welcome the potential

John Gleeson, Director of Sales & Marketing for New York and Atlantic Railway, stated, “We welcome the opportunity to explore with Triple Five CAT the best future role for rail to serve this historic property. Both entities already recognize that every day our system helps reduce heavy truck traffic coming onto and off Long Island with the obvious benefits of reduced air and noise pollution, wear and tear on our highways, and the ability to be a cost effective transportation alternative.”

Ghermezian is already in discussions with Andrew Kaufman, President at Brookhaven Rail Terminal (BRT), whose rail complex is an award winning example of how best to move thousands of tons of materials to Long Island, eliminating the need for hundreds of truck trips required by Long Island companies.

During a recent tour of the Calverton property, Kaufman told Ghermezian “There is little doubt that the existing rail infrastructure here could be strengthened and improved, enabling CAT to create a strategic transportation alternative for the property’s tenants. Our experience at BRT has demonstrated the power of rail. Opening Calverton to rail will quickly accelerate its ability to be an economic powerhouse for the Town of Riverhead.”

The mission of Calverton Aviation and Technology LLC is to develop the EPCAL site as an economic generator, creating jobs and private investment while providing Town of Riverhead residents with approximately 1,000 acres of preserved environmentally sensitive land.