CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP)  -- New headquarters for Metropolitan Transportation Authority police who patrol the Long Island Rail Road is being built on Long Island.

Ground was broken for the new facility in Central Islip on Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the two-story building will house officers who patrol 41 LIRR stations, train yards and grade crossings in Suffolk County.

The building will have room for training, a K-9 unit and a motor pool to maintain and repair emergency response vehicles. It will replace trailers on the site, and is slated to open in March 2010.

The MTA says the new headquarters will improve communications, investigations and provide quicker response to emergencies.