The Long Island Rail Road could increase service on the Port Washington line after the Town of North Hempstead agreed to let the agency explore a plan to expand the rail yard where trains are stored.

With a final deadline looming for the transfer of 40 acres for a rail yard project in Port Jefferson Station, local elected officials and community leaders are pushing New York State to seal the deal.

The effort to electrify eastern Long Island Rail Road tracks has been mired in delays and setbacks for decades. But now, electrification of branches that have long depended on unreliable and ...