MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

MattAmity90 wrote: Here's why they only have to add a metal plate to the concrete ties. This was taken I think at Kew Gardens.

Thank you for the picture. Good to know I have not gone crazy. Yet.

Metro North has a huge drainage project in the Bronx on weekends to alleviate some of the damage to concrete ties on the beginning on the Harlem division.

EuroStar wrote: Rocla (the manufacturer) went bankrupt because of that..

Not quite true, Rocla is still in the business making ties. In-fact, they were doing so well that they bought out their main competitor in the Northeast, KSA, who manufactured concrete ties in OH.

Rocla made most of the bad ties for both the LIRR and Amtrak, Five Star was the manufacturer for Amtrak producing thousands of defective ties.

You are correct. They seem to have only threatened bankruptcy, so that all the commuter agencies settled.

Progressive Railroad

This was actually last week. Brief, fair use:

LIRR wraps up track installation for first phase of double-track project

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) completed the first part of track installation for its double-track project, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday.

Track was laid between Central Islip and Ronkonkoma, N.Y., and work on the final phase between Central Islip and Farmingdale, N.Y., is underway, according to a press release issued by Cuomo's office. That final phase is on schedule to be completed in 2018.

The LIRR's double-track project calls for adding 13 miles of parallel track along the railroad's Ronkonoma Branch, which serves more than 48,000 riders each weekday. The project is expected to "dramatically reduce delays" on the LIRR's system and enable more off-peak service in both directions, Cuomo's release said.
...

I know the final phase will be completed on time in 2018, but what about Phase I? (Ronkonkoma-Central Islip) Will that section go into service while Phase II is underway? This means will both tracks from Ronkonkoma to East of Central Islip be in service as the project continues, since that section will be completed? Sort of like what they do when they replace the platform of a station (Massapequa, Seaford etc.)

Most of the trees and shrubs have been removed from the grade between Wyandanch and the 231 overpass. The tree crews are now working west from Wyandanch towards the Little East Neck Rd. crossing. The cut of filled LIRR ballast cars are still at the top of the grade by the old Deer Park station.

A work crew using a bulldozer and a tracked backhoe are working west from Little East Neck Road towards the Pinelawn station beginning what looks like the new grade for the second track.

On the weekend of October 1-2nd, the Ocean Avenue grade crossing will be closed for 52 hours for the installation of a new grade crossing. This means that the second track will be added and go through the crossing, turning the grade crossing into a 2 track from a 1 track.

Also the FRA gave money to the LIRR to improve safety at several LIRR crossings, which couldn't have come at absolute best time. I'm not going to say all the grade crossings, but the ones that are key along the Ronkonkoma Branch are going in order from Hicksville to Ronkonkoma:

1.) Stewart Avenue in Bethpage.
2.) Straight Path in Wyandanch.
3.) Commack Road in Deer Park.
4.) Executive Drive in Deer Park.
5.) Islip Avenue in Central Islip.

I would like to see the following improvements:

1.) Ocean Avenue with center median signals.
2.) Hopefully the Straight Path and Executive Drive projects include converting them into 4-quadrant gated crossings.
3.) Several grade crossings with island signals.
4.) Pedestrian bridge at Bethpage.
5.) Convert the old Deer Park station into an employee only stop with two high-level platforms two cars long.

Have they also cleared any of the brush or doing something for the rest of the way in between Central Islip and Brentwood? (just East of Brentwood station)

Turns out in addition to the October 1st-2nd weekend, right now this weekend September 24th-25th there is no train service between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale due to the project.

Train service will be available to and from Bethpage and Farmingdale until 4 PM Sunday. They are replacing some of the switches I think at BETH Interlocking. Either way trains will terminate and originate at Farmingdale (until 4 PM on Sunday), and Hicksville.

I saw in a video that the track between Ronkonkoma and Central Islip has been laid, and that a switch (probably temporary) was installed that connects the existing track to the new one probably for railroad vehicles to level and the track and ballast.

As I mentioned before, on the weekend of October 1st-2nd there would be no train service East of Farmingdale due to ongoing double track project construction. Here's one of the results:

When do they plan to begin operation of the Ronkonkoma to Central Islip section? Is it being held up until the entire Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma job is complete?

LB wrote:When do they plan to begin operation of the Ronkonkoma to Central Islip section? Is it being held up until the entire Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma job is complete?

I have no idea, but I've got a lot of people saying that brush and ballast trucks are parked at the old Deer Park station/Rt. 231 trestle clearing the ROW on the South side and that soil is being moved in between the existing track and Long Island Avenue along Pinelawn cemetery. Straight Path I heard was converted into a 2-track crossing as well. These are the crossings along the branch when and if they are 2 tracks in parentheses is when they did:

1.) Pond Road (earlier this year)
2.) Ocean Avenue (this past weekend)
3.) Lowell Avenue (when the branch was electrified)
4.) Carleton Avenue (few weeks ago)
5.) Peter's Boulevard (months ago)
6.) Islip Avenue (??)
7.) All 4 Brentwood crossings and the Executive Drive crossing in Deer Park were converted when the branch was electrified.
8.) Commack Road (always has been, although one track is a siding)
9.) Carll's Path (always been, one track is a siding)
10.) Straight Path (past month)
11.) 18th Street (one is a siding)
12.) Little East Neck Road (??)
13.) Wellwood Avenue (nothing yet)
14.) New Highway (one is a siding)
All crossings West of New Highway have always been 2 tracks.

Either way, I do hope that the double track portion when completed from Ronkonkoma to Central Islip will be in service while Phase II is in the works. Won't take long to lay down a track with the NTC, it only took 72 hours to lay 4 miles of it down!

There are no more weekend outages planned for the rest of this year.

Traveled east along Long Island Ave. from Wellwood Road to Deer Park Ave.
The second track ROW has been graded from Pinelawn Station to Little East Neck Road.
Construction crews were working from Little East Neck Road to 18th Street in Wyandanch grading the new ROW.
Other than the tree and shrub removal the section from Straight Path to the Deer Park Ave overpass hasn't seen any additional work.