Metro North Impacts East Side Access Project in GCT

The former Madison Avenue yard tracks 115 to 125 is were the LIRR waitingroom will be, the area will be completely seperated from MNCR's lower level.
those tracks got replaced by Highbridge yard near Yankee stadium.

those tracks got replaced by Highbridge yard near Yankee stadium.

Sounds like a lot of deadheads running up to Highbridge from GCT. Anyone know how many?

According to Timetable I count 19, but that number can change.

So I'm working on some research and I'm comparing GCT Lower Level track charts over the years, and I noticed a big change in recent years. Pretty much, it seems that tracks 116-125 and yard tracks 165-169 have all but disappeared, including Ladder U. Now if I remember correctly, there is no longer a full loop on the Lower Level. Were all these tracks north of Track 115 removed for ESA construction?

And if we have discussed this already, can someone show me a link, because I couldn't find anything.

Thank you!

-=otto-

Lots have been removed for East Side Access, but I'm not quite sure what ones. The Lower Level loop has definitely been broken up, and there is only a full loop suitable for use on the upper level.

Ladder U is still there but is used for access to the ESA work area. It is used to move equipment in an out of the work area and trains must notify the conductor-flag of the work area. Trains that go in and out are manned strictly by an engineer from the E room and conductor from the MU room.

All tracks west of 115 are out of service (116 to 125 including 165 to 169). I don't know what has been removed if any.

Per Bulletin Order track 200 (east side of the loop) is out of service north of the 200N signal.

Ladder U is a little bit more the just into the dark side. U extends from the dark side,to F. There are 3 tracks still left, I forget the numbers. Besides the E room guys the ESA job also goes in and out. No flag conductor to call, just get talked past the US signal and away you go. A lot of progress has been made down there, but still a hell of a lot to go!

All tracks you mentioned were removed for ESA.

A diagram I saw showed tracks 125 and 123 as dashed lines coming off Ladder U. Are they trying to indicate this is a "foreign road" or otherwise restricted track, say for MTA Capital Construction/ESA loading?

Has anyone seen any drawings that indicate the footprint of ESA on the existing terminal? I'd really like to have that information for the maps I'm preparing. The tracks they cleared out, is that where the LIRR concourse is supposed to go? This whole ESA thing has been very nebulous to me.

-otto-

East Side Access is basically going to create a brand new 8-track stub terminal (tracks 201-204 and 301-304) deep under Grand Central Terminal. When all is said and done there will be no track connections between the two railroads at Grand Central.

Right now they're basically excavating this giant cavern which will hold the eight tracks, 4 island platforms and passenger concourse.

The LIRR concourse would be separate from the MNR one, and you'd get from the MNR portion of GCT and you'd get to the LIRR concourse and tracks via these large escalator banks down to the lower-lower level.

Once your there there will be this concourse that stretches the length of the lower-lower level. There will then be staircases to the 4 island platforms, 2 directly above the concourse, two directly below, (two on the left wall, two on the right wall). It would eventually look like this, this, this, this, not this, and this.

And because diagrams are always fun, I submit this one into evidence of a cross section of Grand Central terminal come 2019.

The LIRR forum has an extensive East Side Access Project Discussion ongoing. Almost everything's been covered in that thread all the way down to speculations on which trains are going which places come 2019. Aditonally, the MTA Capital Construction East Side Access Project Site and MTA Capital Program dashboard are good tools for all things press releases, diagrams, etc.

Thanks, I knew and/or saw all that other stuff before, but this was the most useful graphic I've seen yet.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/imag ... 200005.jpg

Has anyone seen a footprint or a down-on view that shows exactly what area the LIRR concourse will take up on the Lower Level? I'll check the threads you linked to as well, thanks again.

-otto-

The LIRR concourse is in area from track 116 west to were Madison avenue Coach shop use to be.(track 125 as furthest point)

Forgive me for botching the track numbers here, but I don't have a map in front of me. Are the tracks on the LL (numbers 130-160??) still in service? These are the pocket tracks on the west side of the LL, just north of the western-most platform tracks. Essentially east of the tracks given over to ESA. If they're still 'in service', are they used for anything?

I finally found the plan view drawings I was looking for, buried in the ESA quarterly report newsletters. It's really amazing how they are constructing this whole separate LIRR Concourse on the site of the old Madison Ave. Yard...

-otto-

From the MNR Facebook page:

What’s Happening On the Lower Level of Grand Central?
The west seating area of Grand Central’s Lower Level Dining Concourse is temporarily closed to allow for construction work associated with MTA Capital Construction’s East Side Access (ESA) Project, which will bring Long Island Rail Road trains into Grand Central Terminal.
This phase of ESA work will create a future passenger connection from the new LIRR Concourse below the Terminal's Lower Level Dining Concourse and will take
12 to 18 months.
Barricades will ensure the public’s safety. Most tables and chairs have been relocated and food vendors will continue to be open and operating.
For questions or concerns about the work in this area, please call 511 or visit http://www.mta.info" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for further information.
For comments or concerns about the East Side Access project, please call (855) 4-MTAESA or email [email protected].
For more information on the East Side Access project please visit http://www.mta.info/esa" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
We appreciate your patience during this important construction project.

I'm going to fold in a few more thread, but please note, this thread is for discussion of impacts to Metro North operations due to ESA construction at Grand Central Terminal GCT. Penn Station access should be discussed in the separate PSAS thread: viewtopic.php?f=67&t=17711" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;