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The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

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Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by Thomas
 
1. How long would it take to install the new signals?

2. This is some very interesting information regarding the East Side Access Project. My question is, though, why not add a fourth track between the exit of the Yard Lead Tunnel into the New Yard? http://www.thelirrtoday.com/2013/09/int ... plaza.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by lirr42
 
Thomas wrote:2. This is some very interesting information regarding the East Side Access Project. My question is, though, why not add a fourth track between the exit of the Yard Lead Tunnel into the New Yard? http://www.thelirrtoday.com/2013/09/int ... plaza.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Yard Lead tunnel doesn't actually end there. It wraps around up to the northeast corner of the yard. I did not know that when I made that diagram a while ago. Like I said, that's my best guess as to what the interlocking might look like.

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by Thomas
 
lirr42 wrote:
Thomas wrote:2. This is some very interesting information regarding the East Side Access Project. My question is, though, why not add a fourth track between the exit of the Yard Lead Tunnel into the New Yard? http://www.thelirrtoday.com/2013/09/int ... plaza.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Yard Lead tunnel doesn't actually end there. It wraps around up to the northeast corner of the yard. I did not know that when I made that diagram a while ago. Like I said, that's my best guess as to what the interlocking might look like.
Thus, that means it's essentially a four track approach into the Train Yard?

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by lirr42
 
No. It's one track from the ESA tunnels and three from the NY tunnels. One can't use the track of the other, so it's essentially the same now.

But it's not like the yard leads are suffering from crippling capacity constraints or anything...

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by Thomas
 
lirr42 wrote:No. It's one track from the ESA tunnels and three from the NY tunnels. One can't use the track of the other, so it's essentially the same now.

But it's not like the yard leads are suffering from crippling capacity constraints or anything...
But wouldn't the LIRR want to add an additional track after the tunnel exit and or an interlocking with the three tracks that come from the NY tunnels (as part of redundancy)?

(Suppose a train breaks down right after exiting the Yard Lead Tunnel).

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by jlr3266
 
The ESA Yard Lead Tunnel is underground as it loops north under 43rd Street. The approach to grade is north of the mainline tracks and leads directly into the Midday Yard. The other three loop tracks from the NYP tunnels are for Amtrak and NJT trains and lead to Sunnyside Yard, the Acela High Speed Shop, or the North Runner/Motor leads for return to NYP.

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by jlr3266
 
All of the ESA tunnels are done (the bypass and reroute for Amtrak coming along). They are installing drainage in the Queens tunnels and completing the lining in Manhattan. The first big systems contract is slated for a Spring Award.

In the 90's LIRR and Amtrak attempted to upgrade Harold and gave up on much of the work. ESA is doing a lot more work with negligible impacts to train operations. No one expected the tunnels to be the easiest part of the project.

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by lirr42
 
The LIRR Today wrote:"We don't think we'll make 2019"


At an oversight hearing of the State Assembly today, members of the MTA's administration informed the interested parties of the latest delays and cost overruns associated with the East Side Access Project.

The ridiculously expensive and very slow-coming project that will bring LIRR trains to Grand Central was originally supposed to be completed in 2013 and cost $6 billion. That date has been pushed back countless times and that amount has been increased quite often too. Recently, the projected completion date and cost estimate has held steady at around 2019 and $8.3 billion, but according to Craig Stewart, senior director of the MTA's Capital Plan, those figures are "slipping."

Mr. Stewart told their committee "we don't think we'll make 2019."

It's yet another unfortunate setback in a project that has already taken so long to get completed. Newsday's Alfonso Castillo reports that a report reassessing the project's timeline and budget will be released next month.

It's a story that is still developing, so we will learn more as we go along, but it appears we're not getting all that much closer after all.

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by Backshophoss
 
This is not suprising,from reading the quarterly reports,at least 1-2 contractors on ESA have safety issues that need
correction 1st before proceeding further,along with the unexpected that does show up!!! :(

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by lirr42
 
2021 and $10billion

Two weeks ago we learned that MTA Capital Construction is likely to go over the previously set 2019 completion date and $8.2 billion pricetag for the largest construction project around--East Side Access. Earlier today, we learned just how off they might be.

According to Ted Mann at the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), the new timeline for the project to be presented by MTA officials to the MTA board on Monday might extend into 2021 or beyond. And as the delayed completion date wasn't bad enough, reports indicate that the cost for the project could reach as high as $10 billion.

That is a two-year and $1.8bn delay from the previous projections. The project started rolling in 2001 when the then-governor, George Pataki approved the project. In 2006, when an agreement on how the funds would be appropriated, the first projected completion date for the project was set for December 2013. Needless to say, we missed that mark pretty badly, as the ESA project has experienced that projected date pushed back countless times.

After four years of "work" on the project, the MTA informed hopeful riders that ESA won't be ready until 2016. One year later it was pushed back to 2017, then 2019 in August of 2012. Today, in the first couple days of 2014 we find that we are yet again "just 7 years away" with a new projected completion date of 2021. We're always "just 7 years away."

Will the MTA be able to stick to this date? Your guess is as good as mine. They might as well just state the completion date as "sometime in the 2020's" and the cost "under $100 billion" at this point, since it seems they can't keep work on the project going in a straight line. Anyways, at this rate, the LIRR will have a couple more years to finish those ESA readiness projects (which seem to be equally lethargic themselves) and I'll have a couple more years of riding to Long Island City.

But, until then, we're still "just 7 years away."

Posted on 1/24/2014 03:00:00 PM No comments:
See More Posts About: Capital Construction, East Side Access, In the News, News
The price tag for a vast new train station being built for the Long Island Rail Road beneath Midtown Manhattan could top $10 billion and its completion date could stretch into the next decade, officials said.

Officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will present a new timeline for the project, known as East Side Access, to members of the MTA board on Monday, and now believe trains might not run into the station until...
Last edited by Jeff Smith on Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:32 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: Fiar-use quote and subscription requirement added

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by lpetrich
 
It seems like the tunnels and caverns are close to done. So let's see what remains to be done.
  • Building the station structures: platforms, stairs, escalators, elevators.
  • Building the track and signaling.
  • Testing the trains in the system.
It seems to me that one can build the station and much of the tracks in parallel, though the MTA might have cash-flow problems with financing the two projects at the same time.

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by NH2060
 
Some are saying 2023:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/nyreg ... .html?_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Commuters looking forward to the long-awaited project that will connect the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal may now have to wait until 2023.
New cost and timeline estimates were presented to board members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday, and even the most generous of the estimates — made by the agency — had the project delayed until at least 2020.
The cost for the project could exceed $10.7 billion, according to an estimate from the Federal Transit Administration. The authority’s own forecast places the cost as high as $9.7 billion.
In 2006, transit officials expected the project to be finished by the end of 2013, at a cost of $6.3 billion. In 2012, the authority projected a budget of $8.2 billion and a completion date of 2019.
Last edited by Jeff Smith on Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:34 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: Brief, fair-use quote added

Re: The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  by Mr rt
 
Tom Prendergast said that issue of budget & schedule are eluding us.
On a $10B project ... heads should roll !
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