MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

That type of signal pictured is standard at interlockings on Metro-north but not on LIRR. I think the previous poster's answers are correct. Maybe temporary signals. I don't really see a space limitation there.

Head-end View wrote:That type of signal pictured is standard at interlockings on Metro-north but not on LIRR. I think the previous poster's answers are correct. Maybe temporary signals. I don't really see a space limitation there.

Edward posted more photos from today because I just realized that it was the weekend, and there is no service on the Ronkonkoma Branch for all weekends in January.

1.) A ton of snow clearing in Wyandanch with the new station building under construction.
2.) New signal huts being installed at grade crossings in Brentwood and Deer Park.
3.) Work on the PC Richards siding/spur. Not sure what they are going to do.
4.) Pinelawn still has a question mark.

Wow, I'm impressed. Governor Cuomo announces 2nd track to be completed 16 months ahead of schedule
The Governor also announced 24 critical projects totaling $1 billion will be completed this year, as part of the complete transformation of the LIRR.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the Long Island Rail Road Double Track has reached a major milestone and the final five miles of rail being laid this month. The project utilizes Design-Build construction and a specialized New Track Construction machine that lays rail more than 10 times faster than the MTA has ever done before, saving more than $7 million in construction costs and allowing for an expected project completion of August 2018 - 16 months ahead of schedule. Once complete, the Double Track, extending from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma, will dramatically reduce delays on the LIRR and enable more off-peak service in both directions by adding nearly 13 miles of parallel track.

2018 LIRR Project Completion List
Double Track Project
72 New M9 Commuter Rail Cars in Service
Hicksville Station Rehabilitation and New Platforms
Systemwide Post-Sandy Substation Restoration on Long Beach Branch (3 substations: Oceanside, Oil City, Long Beach)
Flushing Main Street Station New ADA Elevators and Station Improvements
Wantagh Station Platform Replacement
Buckram Road Bridge Replacement
Post Avenue Bridge Replacement
Port Washington substation Replacement
New Wyandanch Station
Pinelawn Station New Platforms
Stewart Manor Station Modernization and New Platforms
Port Jefferson Station Modernization and Platform Upgrades
East Hampton Station Modernization
Ronkonkoma Station Upgrades and Amenities
Merrick Station Modernization and Platform Upgrades
Brentwood Station Modernization
Deer Park Station Modernization and Platform Upgrades
Farmingdale Station Modernization
Bellmore Station Modernization
Syosset Station Modernization
Stony Brook Station Modernization
Valley Stream Station Upgrades and Amenities
Baldwin Station Modernization

LIRR Projects Starting in 2018
An additional 21 LIRR projects will break ground this year, including:
3rd Track
Jamaica Terminal
Rockville Centre Viaduct
Lynbrook Viaduct
Meadowbrook Substation
Mid Suffolk Yard
Morris Park Locomotive Shop
Great Neck Station
Westbury Station
Carle Place Station
Mineola Station
Merillon Avenue Station
New Hyde Park Station
Laurelton Station
Locust Manor Station
Nostrand Avenue Station
Murray Hill Station
Bayside Station
Hempstead Station
Northport Station
Floral Park Station

The Pinelawn platform is now closed, and a new platform on the north side is to open with the start of service on Monday. It is still 2 cars.

It's official: The platform constructed and Pinelawn depot from the Ronkonkoma electrification is gone. Bricks and concrete have been broken, a backhoe ripped up the ground, and the new platform with four communication poles is erected. Weird thing is that there is no railing on the back of the platform, it's a tall a fence with posts, and yes the ramp has also been built.

As far as the NTC it has worked its way from JS Interlocking, past the new crossover switch in between Commack Road and Carll's Path, and up to the Deer Park Avenue overpass.

NTC machine working right now on the grade between Deer Park Ave overpass and Wyandanch station. Fascinating machine to watch.

"MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has laid the final 5 miles of rail for its double-track project, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced late last week. "

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/p ... ect--53677" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BM6569 wrote:"MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has laid the final 5 miles of rail for its double-track project, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced late last week. "

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/p ... ect--53677" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As tj48 stated above, the NTC is currently going down the hill from the Deer Park Avenue overpass towards Wyandanch. They still have to lay the second track through Wyandanch, through Pinelawn Cemetery (the station platform was torn down with the new one in service to the North), through New Highway, and all the way to FARM Interlocking's Eastern switch. The project will be finished ahead of time, but then they have to add the ballast, finish up the interlocking switches West of Wyandanch, finish the new interlocking West of Central Islip, modernize KO Interlocking, Wyandanch rising where the new station will have a handicap-accessible elevator like Mineola, etc.

BM6569 wrote:"MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has laid the final 5 miles of rail for its double-track project, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced late last week. "

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/p ... ect--53677" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I guess that's literally true, the CWR is dropped on the ROW.

Looking at Edward Hand's photographs, the difference in the condition of the two mains is very apparent. I guess the first year or so of two track operation will be laden with single-track outages for concrete ties and new rail on the original track...they can't make much use of the added capacity anyway, with midday and weekend outages for ML Third Track starting soon.

I saw in other of Hand's photographs that Pinelawn's new platform has plastic jersey barriers with a chain-link fence on the backside. Obviously this will be temporary because they need to wire it with a Solari departure board, possibly a second ramp halfway, handrails, and the fence is probably to protect passengers from construction equipment. Not to mention that new permanent lighting fixtures will be installed.

As far JS Interlocking, they have a confusing setup:

A crossover switch just to the East of Carll's Path that goes South, a new crossover switch that goes South that is connected to the new second track, and the switch in service near the gantry. The wayside signal that was located to the South of the running track was relocated to the other side. I'm not sure if the current switch will be cut out and replaced meaning the two switches will move further West, or if the current switch will still be used. Some people said that temporary sidings are constructed, but those switches aren't even connected, they are just jutting out from the ballast.

No news yet on the ongoing construction of the new Central Islip interlocking switches other than those dwarf signals.

Very early this morning my travels took me by Wyandanch station. The NTC machine was sitting directly across from the station. Behind it was apx 6 loaded concrete tie flatcars with a Rail King Trackmobile coupled to them. The Trackmobile answered a question for me as to how the concrete tie flatcars are brought to and removed from the machine.

Near the DK switch is the next load of concrete ties, and I'm guessing that today the NTC will go through Straight Path and the 18th Street crossing to the new crossover switches near that pedestrian bridge.

Work is being feverishly done already with the construction of the new platform on the South side. It looks like the two platforms will not be across from each other, it will have a Bolands Landing configuration. The South platform will actually be located further West and closer to the Wellwood Avenue grade crossing.

My travels took me along Long Island Ave this AM. The NTC machine was stopped right at the Wellwood ave crossing. The concrete tie cars were all empty and the Track Mobile was waiting just behind the flatcars. There was another good size crew with various heavy machinery working with concrete tie panel tracks between the Little East Neck Rd and S18th st crossings near the pedestrian overpass. A large amount of ballast has been dumped in the construction yard between the S18th st and Straight Path crossings with a front end loader filling LIRR Hi-rail dump trucks.

Trailing vehicle probably went back East to pick up another load of concrete ties. All they have to do is lay track in between New Highway and Wellwood Avenue, then from New Highway West to FARM.

Update on the project according to Edward Hand's photos:

1.) NTC/TLM has now reached New Highway, and is probably already underway laying down the final 1/2-mile of second track from the West lip of New Highway to a point near FARM.
2.) Over this past weekend during the outage, they cut the running track and installed one of two turnout switches West of Wyandanch, the next one will probably be done on the next outage. New ties were put in place on the new running track with a large gap between the third rails that is connected via jumper cables.
3.) Now that the NTC/TLM has passed Pinelawn, work has resumed on the new South platform. They are laying down the segments on top of the pillars, while the ground is being graded to the West of the North platform. I'm not sure why they are doing that aside from a fence or maybe a second ramp, but the metal handrails have not been put in. The platform is still surrounded by sand-filled jersey barriers with a chain link fence that has MU signs and one platform sign that was taken off the old platform that reads "Pinelawn."