LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

Newsroom – A Modern LI - the most recent entry is a year ago, though previous entries were more than one per month.

LIRR Expansion Project is much more up-to-date, with the most recent update two weeks ago.

From FAQs | LIRR Expansion Project is

What is the LIRR Expansion Project?

The LIRR Expansion Project includes the construction of an additional track along a 9.8-mile stretch of the railroad’s heavily traversed Main Line corridor between Floral Park and Hicksville. The project also includes elimination of eight street-level grade crossings, station renovations, new signals and switches, substation replacements, and other upgrades to improve safety and enhance the reliability of passenger rail service.

...
What is the LIRR Expansion Project’s construction timeline?

Substantial construction began in late 2018 following the completion of early work. Several project elements are currently under substantial construction throughout the corridor. The overall project is expected to be completed by late 2022.

Checking on construction updates, I find plenty of construction work, so some of it may continue into 2023.

I checked with Google Maps, and the LIRR main line is quadruple-tracked between Woodside and Floral Park.

Although this project has run very rapidly for the last few years, I question their projected completion by the end of 2022. It just seems to me that they still have a lot to do at the stations still under construction and along the right-of-way. We'll see.

3rd Track will supposedly be fully in service in October. Don't know when all station work will be done, but having 3 fully operational tracks, all the new switches and substations is what needs to be finished for Grand Central LIRR to open (plus of course GCLIRR and the new tracks, etc. need to be functional). ESA won't actually be finished until some time in 2023.

Three months from now? I'll believe that when and if it happens.

I get it. Hey, I wonder why Hokum isn't taking credit for 3rd track the way she is for ESA.

This past weekend, a key milestone was reached in the project:

-INSTALLATION OF SWITCH AT FLORAL PARK.

That switch is at the Western end of the new third track, and where Track H1 diverts towards Hempstead.

-New Hyde Park's temporary Platform B is being dismantled foot by foot. In place are poles in between the new track and what will be Track 1 at the end of the project. These are similar to what you see Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside. Temporary steel bridges are sitting on the new EB platforms.
-New track is being electrified East of Westbury, but the coverings have not been installed yet.
-Apparently, there will be no Eastbound service at NHP and Merillon Avenue starting in August?

MattAmity90, you must be overlooking something. No way there will not be eastbound service at two consecutive stations for two months. I'm sure some temporary set-up will be in place.

Also, re: the new switch at Floral Park, is this at the east end of the station connecting track H1 to the new ML2 track? That's the point where the 3rd track actually begins, right?

Head-end View wrote: ↑Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:23 pm MattAmity90, you must be overlooking something. No way there will not be eastbound service at two consecutive stations for two months. I'm sure some temporary set-up will be in place.

I'm not sure how this factors in:

Planned - Boarding Change
The eastbound (south side) track at New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue is now known as Track 2.
Aug 15 - Sep 30, Mon 12:00 AM to Fri 12:00 AM

Everyone - This is the 3TC Update for August 2022:
https://lirrexpansion.com/2022/07/29/up ... gust-2022/

There are changes to report such as the installation of some of the new third track along the route...
Reasonably good Summer weather has helped as the midpoint of the prime work season approaches...

New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue will be affected by these changes concerning eastbound service:
Monday to Friday August 1-5: First six cars only platform on all eastbound trains at both stations.
Monday to Friday August 8-12: No eastbound trains between 5 AM and 3:30 PM at both stations - AND -
Saturday-Sunday August 13-14: No eastbound service; Passengers bused to and from Mineola.

These weekend track work outages are mentioned - July 30-31 and August 6-7: No Main Line service between
Hicksville and Floral Park. Huntington/Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma trains originate/terminate at Hicksville.
Shuttles Hicksville-Bethpage-Babylon with enhanced Babylon Branch service. Oyster Bay Branch is East Williston
to Oyster Bay only...NICE Bus routes N22 and N24 provide some east/west intermediate service...

August 13-14 and 20-21: No Hempstead Branch service...Hollis, Queens Village and Floral Park served by hourly
Ronkonkoma Branch trains; Bellerose passengers are bused to Queens Village; Stewart Manor, Nassau Blvd.
Garden City and Hempstead passengers are bused to Mineola; Country Life Press Station is closed...

Also mentioned is Saturday-Sunday August 27-28 - there is no further alternate service information available
as of this post...

The Main Line Third Track Project looks to be moving right along...MACTRAXX

Head-end View wrote: ↑Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:23 pm MattAmity90, you must be overlooking something. No way there will not be eastbound service at two consecutive stations for two months. I'm sure some temporary set-up will be in place.

Also, re: the new switch at Floral Park, is this at the east end of the station connecting track H1 to the new ML2 track? That's the point where the 3rd track actually begins, right?

Yes, when you put the tracks North to South, the switch continues to divert H1 to the South, and is the Western beginning of ML2. Essentially the Southern track that is served by the center island platform.

In addition, someone caught footage of them putting in a new Oyster Bay turnout switch at NASSAU2 on ML3. Here's the diagram of Floral Park. The black box is where they installed the crucial switch.

News12 had a story yesterday that the narrow one-lane roadway under the new bridge in New Hyde Park/Garden City (Denton Ave/Tanners Pond Rd) has now opened along with repaving of the roadway around it.

A terrible shame that it was not built as a normal two-lane underpass. Blame the Village of Garden City for stubbornly hanging on to the standards of a hundred years ago in the horse and buggy era. It'll be another hundred years 'til it get rebuilt again.........

The new one-lane bridge does meet modern standards as it's been raised to a 14' clearance with ADA-accessible sidewalks (the old bridge was 12' 9" with no sidewalks). There are hints in the LIRR announcement about this bridge that not building it to allow traffic patterns to change avoided getting the project mired in lawsuits.

Looking at a map, I think the decision not to add lanes is not about maintaining ancient standards, but about not wanting to encourage truck traffic along that route as the bridge connects what looks to be an industrial area with a residential neighborhood.

H-E View, RW and Everyone:
The MTA issued this press release about the re-opening of the roadway at the Denton Avenue/
Tanners Pond Road bridge - the date is August 1 at 6:15 PM:
https://new.mta.info/press-release/mta- ... eplacement
There is a group of photos posted by the MTA on Flickr included with this PR...

From looking at the photos underneath the bridge I do think about this question:
"How hard would it actually have been to include a second lane at this location?"
RW: Yes-Denton Avenue in Garden City Park is primarily an industrial area north to Jericho Turnpike (NY-25)
Tanners Pond Road serves a residential area of the Village of Garden City.
This is a prime example of a win for the NIMBYs in GC to keep this underpass a single lane.
Adding a second lane likely would have meant further legal problems for the MTA and the Third Track Project.
The sidewalks in the area and under the bridge is a welcome improvement for pedestrians.

What may eventually be needed is traffic signals for the use of the single lane - the old bridge had at least
somewhat adequate sightlines on both sides to see oncoming vehicles - the new bridge is wider and the single
lane is straight - if a problem develops with either "standoffs" or accidents traffic control will be necessary...
Was GC Village actually against any use of traffic signals to regulate the single lane under this bridge?
MACTRAXX

RandallW, you do have a point about the truck traffic. I suppose if they had widened the roadway, you might have large commercial trucks coming south into the residential neighborhood which I have to agree would be a bad thing.

Everyone - The MTA has posted information about Main Line changes for installation of the new Third Track:
https://new.mta.info/mainline
https://new.mta.info/article/hicksville ... hange-2022
There will be upcoming weekend outages between Floral Park and Hicksville August 27-28;
September 10-11 and 17-18 with alternate service as outlined in the July 30 3TC monthly update...
Major changes are ahead for the Third Track Project as noted for August and September...MACTRAXX