MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

[MattAmity90]

I'm not sure if it's official or not, but after looking at departures on MTA's website I think the Double Track Project is COMPLETE!

Both tracks are in service at Pinelawn, Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood, Central Islip, and Ronkonkoma! If so, it took 37 months to complete (August 2015-September 2018). Right now though service at Ronkonkoma is only on Track 1.

[Head-end View]

Are they single tracking thru Farmingdale Sta. right now? Reason I'm asking is the signal at the east end of Hicksville Sta. for main-line trains shows "approach-medium" nowadays (where it used to always show "clear") indicating that the signal at Beth Interlocking may be at "medium-clear" which would have eastbound trains crossing over to Track-1 thru Farmingdale. I've observed this during several evening rush-hours at Hicksville in the past month.

[MNCRR9000]

Are they single tracking thru Farmingdale Sta. right now? Reason I'm asking is the signal at the east end of Hicksville Sta. for main-line trains shows "approach-medium" nowadays (where it used to always show "clear") indicating that the signal at Beth Interlocking may be at "medium-clear" which would have eastbound trains crossing over to Track-1 thru Farmingdale. I've observed this during several evening rush-hours at Hicksville in the past month.

This evening and for the past few nights when I drive over the Broadway crossing in Bethpage when I look down the tracks towards the Beth Interlocking Track 2 shows a clear indication while track 1 shows a stop indication.

[MNCRR9000]

Pulled up Wyandanch on LIRR Train Time and it's now showing tracks. 1 and 2 in use.

[MattAmity90]

I saw a video on YouTube that was uploaded on Friday in which they give you a tour of the new Wyandanch station. Now, this was before this past weekend's outage so Track 1 and Northern platform were temporarily out of service due to the signal hut at Straight Path. I had no idea that now when a train pulls into a station the P.A system says (in the case of the video): "Ladies and gentlemen, the [insert time] to Ronkonkoma is now arriving on Track 2 Platform B. Please stay behind the yellow line and step over the gap." I'm guessing that was a change and upgrade to all stations since I was last on Long Island in November 2013.

The only work left is the renovation of the station depots at Brentwood and Deer Park, and the installation of new platform lights at those respective stations since the platforms have cones aligned along them.

[SwingMan]

Are they single tracking thru Farmingdale Sta. right now? Reason I'm asking is the signal at the east end of Hicksville Sta. for main-line trains shows "approach-medium" nowadays (where it used to always show "clear") indicating that the signal at Beth Interlocking may be at "medium-clear" which would have eastbound trains crossing over to Track-1 thru Farmingdale. I've observed this during several evening rush-hours at Hicksville in the past month.

The signal on station track 3 at Divide 4 displays Approach-Medium for trains lined for the Main Line 2 and Medium-Clear for trains routed either to Main Line 1 or Port Jeff 2. It was a simple way of downgrading the code through Hicksville. There is a 40mph speed restriction from the west end of Hicksville passenger station and the easterly limits of Divide Interlocking. All this signal does is lower the code to something closer to the speed through the area, it has nothing to do with the next signal ahead. The next signal at Divide 5 will display a Clear Indication unless a train is right ahead, completely unrelated to the previous Approach-Medium. It is fairly common practice on the LIRR, not necessarily the best option but one that was easily implemented with the system that was in place.

[workextra]

At Divide as in many other locations, due to political pressure from unqualified personal, they were forced to falsify the cab signal system to act as the “maximum authorized speed indicator” thus in a speed signal based operation your essentially a speed failure as your system is not functioning as its intended to in conjugation with “true” signal indications. They’re falsifying the condition of be block to force the medium/limited speed code in the rail which in turn drops the corresponding fixed signal associated with thet section of track.
This is a non issue with RAS cause the cab signal could double as your MAS indicator of they want it to be and therefore reduces the fixed signal to nothing more then a control point protector.
It’s a poor mans PTC.
Case closed.
As for the double track, it looks good and Wyandanch of all stations is a gem now. Really came out nice there. But Suffolk and NYS dropped the ball by not eliminating straight path as a level crossing.

[MattAmity90]

Wyandanch has the looks of Ronkonkoma now, but if you think they were going to eliminate the Straight Path grade crossing, you would have been disappointed. There is no room for elimination, and in the video the benefit of the Ronkonkoma Branch now being a two-track line all the way means the gates will be down for a shorter amount of time. When he filmed a Westbound departing, it accelerated and cleared the station vicinity twice as fast since they likely added a component to keep the 18th street crossing gates down due to quicker departure.

[Head-end View]

Thanks to SwingMan and workextra for explaining the signal aspect at Divide 4. I assume that the idea of using signals to enforce speed limits, separate from indicating track occupancy and routes, came out of the Metro-North derailment at Spuyten Duyvil.

And MNCRR9000, for observing that signal at Beth from the B'way crossing. I was actually going to do that myself later this week, but you beat me to it. LOL

[MattAmity90]

Just on an unrelated note, but it is related to construction projects on the Long Island Rail Road:

IS THE REHABILITATION OF HICKSVILLE STATION OFFICIALLY COMPLETED?

[Head-end View]

Not quite. Crews are still doing some finishing work on the platforms and structures.

[MNCRR9000]

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the completion of the Long Island Rail Road Double Track more than a year ahead of schedule. This historic project adds a second 13-mile track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma — a segment of the LIRR that carries 48,000 riders every weekday — and will significantly reduce delays and allow for reverse-peak service expansions. The double track project also includes a new signal system, electrical substation modifications and new third rail electrical systems that will power the new track's trains. Governor Cuomo also announced the official opening of a new and fully accessible Wyandanch Station along the new double track.

"After 70 years of stagnation we are investing $6.6 billion in 100 projects to completely transform the LIRR and improve service, and the completion of the new Double Track demonstrates our commitment to delivering results," Governor Cuomo said. "The LIRR is the lifeblood of the region's economy and projects like the Double Track and Third Track will help support future growth and vastly improve riders' experience on the busiest commuter rail in the country."

"We're making significant investments to transform the Long Island Rail Road, and the completion of the new double track will significantly reduce delays and ease traffic," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who delivered today's announcement. "This project adds a second track and expands service between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, making transportation faster, easier, and safer for New Yorkers. We're cutting through red tape to deliver ahead of schedule because we prioritize our commuters."

The Double Track allows the LIRR to immediately begin offering substantial reverse peak service on the Ronkonkoma Line in the mornings and evenings for the first time. The new infrastructure will enhance train reliability by allowing dispatchers flexibility to route trains around problems that may arise. The Double Track project added 13 miles of new track to an already existing 5-mile stretch of previously unused track - totaling 18 miles. The first trains are entering the new double track region more than a year ahead of the original construction schedule, which was accelerated in 2016 at Governor Cuomo's direction.

Early completion of the project will free up LIRR resources for other projects in support of LIRR's expansion and modernization like East Side Access, the Main Line Third Track, and the Mid-Suffolk Train Storage Yard. Commuters can look forward to improvements at 39 stations throughout Long Island which will include amenities such as free public Wi-Fi, USB charging ports, bicycle racks, and customer information totems.

"More tracks, whether it's here along the Ronkonkoma Branch corridor but also along the Main Line in Nassau County, mean more capacity and flexibility for the LIRR," LIRR President Phil Eng said. "That means fewer train delays from congestion or from an incident. And it's all one integrated system, so fewer delays on the Ronkonkoma Branch translates to fewer delays on other branches result from held connections or congestion at terminals."

"Work here proceeded quickly to minimize impact to the customers and the local community," said MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber. "In that respect, this project was a forerunner of the approach we will be taking along the Third Track corridor, minimizing disruption and maintaining continuous inclusion of the local communities."

http://www.mta.info/news/2018/09/21/lir ... uble-track

From NewsDay

By Alfonso A. Castillo
alfonso.castillo@newsday.com @alfonsoreports
Updated September 21, 2018 7:07 PM
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The Long Island Rail Road’s half-billion-dollar effort to construct a second track on its Main Line between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma is complete, officials announced Friday.

At a ceremony at the newly constructed Wyandanch station, LIRR officials and elected leaders formally cut the ribbon on the completed 18-mile track, which has already been in use by the railroad for about a week. The completion of the project, which began in 2014, marks the first time in the LIRR’s 184-year history that trains are running on two tracks between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma — a stretch of track used by 48,000 customers daily.

In a statement, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the project’s completion “demonstrates our commitment” to transform the LIRR through 100 planned projects totaling $6.6 billion.

“The LIRR is the lifeblood of the region’s economy,” Cuomo said. “And projects like the Double Track and Third Track will help support future growth and vastly improve riders’ experience on the busiest commuter rail in the country.”

The Double Track becomes the first of several capacity-expanding megaprojects to come on line for the railroad, which has struggled in recent years to provide reliable service to a growing ridership. The LIRR — the busiest commuter railroad in North America — has moved 89 million people annually for the past two years, the most in nearly 70 years. It’s on pace to deliver its worst annual on-time performance in 19 years.

The 18 miles of new track provides the LIRR with extra capacity to run trains, including for “reverse commuters” traveling to and from jobs in Suffolk County. It also supports efforts to bolster Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma and surrounding development. And it allows the railroad to more easily work around any disruptions that occur in Suffolk.

“You can imagine, when we had just one track, [if there was] one incident on that track, we’d have to shut down service. We’d have no ability to move people east and west,” LIRR president Phillip Eng said Friday, speaking to a group of business, community and labor leaders. He called it “a proud day for all of us.”

“It shows that we can deliver when given the opportunity,” Eng said of the project, which was completed more than a year ahead of its original December 2019 target.

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Project officials said they were able to shave 15 months off the project by taking advantage of new track-laying technology and by hiring the same contractors to design and build certain elements of the project.

Still, the project did encounter some 11th-hour technical challenges, including issues with malfunctioning new signal and switch equipment, which caused extensive planned and unplanned service disruptions for LIRR commuters in recent weeks.

Janno Lieber, chief development officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, thanked customers for “putting up” with the construction-related glitches.

“They’ve been great about it,” Lieber said. “We look forward to giving them the kind of service they want and deserve.”

But not all commuters are happy about the project's completion. Dean Prentiss of Deer Park noted that with a new second track — and at some stations a new second customer platform — some commuters who were used to stepping off trains and walking directly to their cars now have to cross over from the south side of the tracks to get to parking lots on the north.

That can require walking several hundred yards to and across the nearest pedestrian overpass, or going to the nearest railroad grade crossing and waiting for the train to pull away before walking across. Prentiss said the change added as many as 15 minutes to his daily commute.

“Those 15 minutes are precious,” Prentiss said. “Now that they have two tracks . . . it should be a positive. Instead, they made it a negative.”

In response, LIRR spokesman Aaron Donovan said: "The benefits of reverse-peak service and a more reliable and faster commute for 48,000 daily customers far outweigh any inconveniences.”

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/tra ... 1.21189095

[Head-end View]

So now the project is complete and in operation for its first weekend. And the first thing that happens is a train hits a stalled car at Merritts Rd. in Farmingdale causing a suspension of service on the Main-line to Ronkonkoma..........

Just when the Ronkonkoma passengers thought they had it made! There's always a joker in the deck on the LIRR.

[MACTRAXX]

So now the project is complete and in operation for its first weekend. And the first thing that happens is a train hits a stalled car at Merritts Rd. in Farmingdale causing a suspension of service on the Main-line to Ronkonkoma..........

Just when the Ronkonkoma passengers thought they had it made! There's always a joker in the deck on the LIRR.

H-E View and Everyone: Keep in mind that this is midway between Bethpage and Farmingdale not
on the newly opened second track segments - but this grade crossing accident still caused service
to be suspended most likely because both tracks may have been affected by any residual damage
that may have been caused by the collision. If only one track was involved the second could have
been kept open with a slow order - but with single track delays will still result from trains having
to wait and cross over to the open track. Removing the vehicle and inspecting and reopening the
tracks for service is much easier when service is suspended at the accident scene unfortunately.
MACTRAXX

[lpetrich]

This is weird. The project's original URL http://web.mta.info/lirr/doubletrack/ now redirects to LIRR Double Track Project Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma – A Modern LI at A Modern LI – LIRR Modernization Program.