The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

[EuroStar]

The first strings of rail were pulled through some of the tunnels under the yards (I think tunnel D) in Queens this past week. Of course, we are very very far from being able to run something on them, but it is a milestone.

[jlr3266]

The Westbound Bypass Shield was designed by the Contractor.

[EuroStar]

It appears that the Westbound bypass has hit a major snag. They appear to have been unable to resume construction with the tunnel shield. At this point it begs the question whether they should not just look into a temporary reroute of some sort and digging up the short tunnel the conventional cut and cover way. That will be disruptive, especially to Amtrak, but frankly, at this point it appears to me that the jacked shield is hopeless.

[SwingMan]

Just to be clear on this:

The bypass was going to go under the existing Line 4 and 2 from North to South to allow Amtrak trains the ability to not mingle with LIRR trains? And the trench between F and Harold was part of it, correct?

[Head-end View]

Does anyone here know what the problem is with the shield? And can it be described in layman's terms?

[lpetrich]

MTA starts laying track for long-awaited East Side access for LIRR commuters -- some positive news.

The $10-billion project has been plagued by repeated delays and is tentatively set to open in late 2023.

Officials on Monday said the project is now 72% completed and that 13-and-a-half miles of track will eventually be in place.

[mkm4]

and that 13-and-a-half miles of track will eventually be in place.

I would hope so.

[zhaos]

A very important expose on high construction costs was published by the Times this week. Front page article.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/nyre ... .html?_r=0

I feel like the public is helpless to deal with the issues highlighted, which is really unfortunate.

[NIMBYkiller]

I read a few pages back that the absolute max height of the tunnel fits an M1/M3/M7 and that's it. What is that height of the tunnel? Also, the question about Hell Gate tracks being able to access ESA; let's just assume 30 years from now they can design a car that can run NH and fit ESA, can those Hell Gate tracks physically access the ESA tracks. I don't need the questions
why and other "in-what-idiotic-scenario" remarks, I'm just curious if the two could physically connect.

[quad50cal]

I read a few pages back that the absolute max height of the tunnel fits an M1/M3/M7 and that's it. What is that height of the tunnel?

The cross section of the overall tunnel structure is a 40' square. Don't know a more precise number than that.

Pic related: the prefabricated tunnel sections being built at a Maryland shipyard.



Edit: Happened to come across the answer in a document linked by DutchRailnut in the Siemens Charger Locomotives thread. A height of 13'-6" is listed in the appendix which seems to be very low for a 40' square.

http://www.highspeed-rail.org/Documents ... 1-6-15.pdf

[lpetrich]

Checking on MTA | Capital Programs East Side Access, the quarterly report is up to Q3 2017, and there is an overall report that came out on Dec 11, 2017.

• CM006 - Manhattan North structures - should be done by now.
• CM007 - GCT Caverns - permanent walls, internal structures, tracks - 25% done, 2020
• CM014A - LIRR Concourse and Facilities Fit-Out - should be done by now.
• CM014B - LIRR Concourse and Facilities Fit-Out - behind schedule, should be done by 2020
• VM014 - Vertical Circulation - elevators and escalators partially done
• CQ032 - Plaza Substation and Queens structures - should be done by now.
• CQ033 - Harold Midday Storage Yard - should be done by 2020
• CH061A, FHA61A, FHL61A - Harold Track A Cut-and-Cover structure - 30%, should be done by midyear
• FHA01 - Harold Stage 1 (Amtrak) - one track switch to go, should be done by midyear
• FHA02 - Harold Stage 2 (Amtrak) - should be done by late this year
• FHL01 - Harold Stage 1 (LIRR) - needs to switch over to new substation, should be done by early this year
• FHL01 - Harold Stage 2 (LIRR) - lots of trackwork, should be done by 2020
• CS179, CS084 - Systems - should be done by 2020

Looking at the critical-path diagram on PDF page 18 of the quarterly report, the strongest one is through the Harold trackwork. The biggest bit of it on that path is CH058A: B/C Approach Structures, and that will start at the beginning of next year. It is scheduled to be done at the end of 2020. The other two paths go through the midday yard and the systems works, and they also should be done a little bit before then. Then about 3 months of testing and revenue service should start. However, the construction planners have budgeted an extra 2 years for further schedule slippage, giving a target of the end of 2022.

[mkm4]

A height of 13'-6" is listed in the appendix which seems to be very low for a 40' square.

You forget. The subway uses the top half of the tunnel.

[Head-end View]

I'll take a guess that back in the late 1960's when this tunnel was being designed, it was thought that nothing higher than a subway car or the soon-to-arrive new M-1 cars would ever use this tunnel. Although LIRR still had "double-decker" electric cars at that time, everyone involved must have thought that the M-1's were the whole future of the LIRR East River Tunnels. And dual-mode loco's pulling bi-level cars thru to Manhattan wasn't even thought of until the 1990's, at least 25 years after the 63rd St. tunnel was built. I guess the designers needed a better crystal-ball. LOL

[jlr3266]

That is correct. In fact, the brochures for the new tunnel had concept art of the proposed M1 vehicles are the lower level and proposed R40 slants on top.

[BuddR32]

And both of those fleets are retired before the full vision was attained! Still a cool image though.