Islanders fans and Sparky the mascot celebrate at the LIRR's new Elmont station after the ceremonial first train pulled in on Tuesday. Credit: Howard Schnapp
The first new Long Island Rail Road station to be built in a half-century opened in Elmont on Tuesday, in time to transport thousands of hockey fans to the Islanders' home opener at the nearby UBS Arena this Saturday.
But it will take a while before fans leaving the arena can head west on a train — and even longer before commuters could use the station to get to work every day.