Final design of Hicksville renovation project unveiled

http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/s ... novation-p" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.mta.info/press-release/lirr/ ... le-station" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Does anybody know when the construction is expected to begin didn't see anything in any of the press releases?

120 Million State Investment Includes Modernization of Station & Track Enhancements for Better Service
Senator Jack M. Martins (R-7th Senate District) announced that New York State has publicly released the final design for the rehabilitation of the Hicksville LIRR Station. The project is a $120 million investment to revitalize the region’s busiest transit hub and kick-start residential and commercial development that could revitalize Hicksville's downtown.
“This is a tremendous investment that will benefit both the Hicksville community and Long Island as a whole. The Hicksville station is a transit hub that serves millions of riders each year. Overhauling and upgrading the infrastructure at Long Island’s busiest train station will improve service, create jobs, and enhance the quality of life for commuters. I’m pleased to see this important project moving forward,” said Senator Martins.
According to the MTA, Hicksville Station is the LIRR’s busiest line station with 22,000 customer trips per weekday and is also served by major NICE commuter bus routes running north and south on Route 106 and Route 107. Both Ronkonkoma Branch trains and Port Jefferson Branch trains pass through Hicksville every day as do selected Montauk Branch trains.
“The MTA and the LIRR form an economic lifeline for Long Island, moving 81 million customers to and from New York City every year. The investment of billions of dollars for East Side Access and a hundred million dollars in a local project like Hicksville Station are prime examples of how we continue to fuel economic growth, create local employment opportunities and take Long Islanders to the high paying jobs in the city that have always been the key to prosperity in Nassau and Suffolk,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“The LIRR’s Hicksville revitalization project is a prime example of how the MTA uses its Capital Plan to benefit the people and the communities that it services. In the short term, construction means jobs. Long term, Hicksville will have a station to be proud of, improved train service and the prospect of new development that could offer property tax relief for current homeowners,” said MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast.
The Hicksville Station rehabilitation is budgeted at $68.7 million. The MTA will invest another $52.3 million for a less visible but equally important part of the project - the construction of the Hicksville North Track Siding, a storage track along the existing railroad right-of way that will support the LIRR’s plans for faster and more frequent service when its East Side Access Project is completed 2021. East Side Access will carry Long Islanders to Grand Central Terminal on the East Side of Manhattan for the first time.]

Well, since the new station is going to look like something out of The Jetsons, be completed by 2019, and will definitely take longer than the Seaford, Wantagh, and Massapequa improvements, I would say sometime next year. I don't like the idea of laminated glass as the top because that is dangerous.

Any impact on the NYA's Hicksville Yard or the long spur between the yard and the Post Office where welded rail & ballast trains are stored from the "North Track" portion of this project???

Teutobergerwald wrote:Any impact on the NYA's Hicksville Yard or the long spur between the yard and the Post Office where welded rail & ballast trains are stored from the "North Track" portion of this project???

A Newday online article yesterday mentioned the siding, but was not clear on which "existing" siding. The original post clarified it was one on the west side of the station. One question: That siding seem like it will require in station end changes, so why that one and not the LIPA siding east of the station? Although, having an improved siding on the west side of the station as well might allow space for east end scoots to be extended (express in electric territory) to Hicksville.

As I understand it, station track #1 (northern most station track) will be extended west along where the old Atlantic Pipe siding currently exists. The grade will be built up to match that of both Mainline 1 and 2 within the interlocking. If you pass Divide location 3 (the opposing set of signals west of Hicksville station), you'll see temporary pedestal signals erected to replace the signal bridges while work is being performed. The pedestals are bagged and are not yet in service.

That would be huge if they give that to us, easier to stash more equipment and it would be easier for me to whittle down delays from incidents (being able to better stage held trains from cars/crossings, edp's etc.) while we are stuck with just two tracks. Hopefully they address the freight restrictions going through Hicksville too. I hope they give more shelters or wind breaks to the peeps on the platforms. It seems to me out of all of the pax stations Hicksville has always been the windiest and cruelest to the commuter...

I guess this means new color-light signals for Divide Interlocking when it's all done? Speaking as one who remembers this station being built in the 1960's, (50 years ago ?!!??!! ) that will be quite a change...........

It was piercing cold this morning on the Hicksville platform!

Those signals pictured were installed maybe 10-15 years ago. They replaced the almost identical original signals from the elevation project completed in 1965. The originals were on slightly higher masts.

I don't think a full renewal of DIVIDE is currently planned, considering the signals there were not installed all that long ago, as you mentioned, and most, if not all, of the switches have been replaced over the course of the past few years. BABYLON is the next interlocking (east of Jamaica, at least) to get renewed.

I have noticed that they have lined the edge of the viaduct with plywood on the other side of Broadway near the Port Jefferson Ronkonkoma split any idea if they are getting ready to start construction?

That plywood that you mentioned was left over from a few weeks back when they did the concrete tie replacement. It was a barrier so the ballast wouldn't spray down onto street level as it was spread.

emfinite wrote:That plywood that you mentioned was left over from a few weeks back when they did the concrete tie replacement. It was a barrier so the ballast wouldn't spray down onto street level as it was spread.

Thanks for the info.

Hicksville Station lmprovements: Design of Hicksville Station lmprovements
and North Track Siding project progressed towards completion in early Spring
2015 with construction start anticipated in Fall 2015.

Latest update from the April 2015 Board committee materials.

http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/ ... R_LIRR.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;