MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

[jamestrains1]

... Anybody know where the new Pinelawn Station is to be located?

As described in the Environmental Assessment, the eastbound platform would be east of Wellwood Avenue (CR 3), the westbound platform would be west of Wellwood Avenue.

An earlier design proposal considered locating both platforms east of Wellwood Avenue, shown in the last image below from the Environmental Assessment Appendix. This design is dated 26 October 2012. The locations were later adjusted to mitigate potential increased traffic caused by increased gate downtime.

Long Island Rail Road Double Track Project – Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale
Environmental Assessment Chapters 1 & 2
September 2013
http://web.mta.info/lirr/doubletrack/Fi ... nd%202.pdf
see pdf pg. 30, 118, 128

see pdf pg. 30


see pdf pg. 118


see pdf pg. 125

Long Island Rail Road Double Track Project – Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale
Environmental Assessment Appendices Volume 2
September 2013 (design dated 26 October 2012)
http://web.mta.info/lirr/doubletrack/Fi ... 0(F-L).pdf
see pdf pg. 56

[MACTRAXX]

Does anyone know if the Route 111/Islip Avenue grade crossing in between Central Islip and Brentwood was rehabilitated from a one track to a two track crossing?

MA (and Everyone:)

No. At this point there is no change at Islip Avenue - there are yet no provisions there to install a second track at this crossing.

There is at least one signal box east of the crossing that has to be removed that is in the second track ROW there.

Before a project of this type that will require closure of the Islip Avenue crossing advance notice along with a busing program
(more than likely Ronkonkoma-Brentwood) will be given along with the placement of track panels nearby to be installed.

The one day trackwork program on April 15th more then likely was for more work to complete the Ronkonkoma-Central Islip
track segment. On 4/15 there were work crews in the vicinity of CI1 west towards Carleton Avenue and Peters Boulevard.
Track is being installed up to Peters Boulevard but nothing has changed west of there.

MACTRAXX

[MACTRAXX]

It wouldn't be on the other side of Wellwood because of the NY&AR siding switch, doubt it would be moved to where the East Great Neck Road grade crossing is, my guess would be where it is. I'm sure they left enough room between the new intersection and the roadbed for the second track. Then all they have to do is build the new platforms, and preserve the station building, al la Lindenhurst and Wantagh.

JT, MA and Everyone:

I took note to the posted impact statement - dated 2012 - and will mention the placement of the Pinelawn platforms as well as what may be
done with the current station building:

Staggering the platforms at Pinelawn to build a westbound platform on the north side depends on which open cars will serve the platform.
Having the first two west open cars platform will require the Wellwood Avenue crossing to be blocked for each westbound train stop.
Placing the eastbound platform on the south side west of the crossing will again require the crossing to be blocked for each train stop
and will more then likely platform the first two open cars instead of the rear two open cars. The best approach is to place the new east
bound platform where it is now - shifted over to accommodate the new track - along with shifting Long Island Avenue a few feet over
(if necessary along with the LIA/Wellwood Avenue intersection) to allow the current 2 car platform to be moved over.

The Pinelawn Station building is nothing special - it was built in the early/mid 1980s before the Hicksville-Ronkonkoma Electrification as a
courtesy to LIRR passengers from the surrounding cemeteries. It is basically only an unlocked room to allow safe shelter during inclement
weather. This building has no historical significance and if it can not be moved over a new one may need to be built.

When Pinelawn Station was constructed back 30 plus years ago it had the dubious distinction of the only LIRR station without any lighting.
This was only a problem during the short days of November-February when late afternoon trains stopped there. At some point there were
two platform tower lights installed - but what makes this interesting is that no scheduled trains stop there after dark - especially during
the longer days of Daylight Saving Time...

MACTRAXX

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone:

This weekend (June 3-4) marks the first of three scheduled Ronkonkoma-Brentwood second track
construction outages (the others are June 24-25 and July 8-9) for track work on this seven mile
track segment addition especially the Ronkonkoma-Central Islip stretch which is near complete.

There has been slow progress so far in 2017 on this project and with the work season now here
it may be time for significant changes ahead...MACTRAXX

[MattAmity90]

It's good to know that more work is being done. I know they have been installing the third rail on the second track between CI-KO. Does one of the outages call for laying additional track the rest of the way to Brentwood?

[Amtrak7]

In addition to the two upcoming weekend outages mentioned above, there is a CI-KO outage Jun 17-18.

[MattAmity90]

I heard from LIRR and a few Facebook posts that a new crossover was installed in between the Ocean Avenue and Pond Road crossings. This past weekend (June 17-18) was a KO-CI outage, but second track construction did take place as there was no train service between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale. Must have done more work in between Wyandanch and Deer Park at the Deer Park Avenue bridge.

[MACTRAXX]

MA90 (and Everyone:)

Your Facebook source got the information about the June 17-18 CI-KO trackwork program wrong
as far as train service was concerned...

ALL trains originated and terminated at Central Islip with buses provided to/from Ronkonkoma.
The exception was six trains originated and terminated at Farmingdale as noted below...

In the special timetable:
"Service between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma will not be provided for trains arriving at Penn
Station westbound at 11:30AM, 12:30PM and 1:30PM and leaving eastbound at 4:39, 5:39 and
6:39PM." This was trains 8091,8093 and 8095 west and 8090,8092 and 8094 east.

The June 24-25 weekend trackwork program (and July 8-9) will have busing between Brentwood
and Ronkonkoma along with the same six trains running to/from Farmingdale only.

Refer to the Special Timetables issued for these programs for the most accurate information...
MACTRAXX

[MattAmity90]

So they are going to install that crossover I mention very soon as some said? I wonder what else they are going to do, maybe electrify the rest of the second track between KO-CI and maybe poor the ballast over the second track that has been laid to the West of CI.

[adamj023]

So they are going to install that crossover I mention very soon as some said? I wonder what else they are going to do, maybe electrify the rest of the second track between KO-CI and maybe poor the ballast over the second track that has been laid to the West of CI.

Not against this project which should be finished next year. I wonder if segments will open soon like Ronkonkoma to Central Islip. I don't go out there by LIRR but it makes sense that two tracks should exist.

[geico]

They've had the RR closed for 2 weekends this month. Once between Brentwood and Ronk and the other between CI and Ronk.
Anyone know what they have done? Nothing seems obvious. No switches installed, no track realignments, nothing.

What were they doing for 2 full weekends and nothing noticeable happened?

[adamj023]

Must have been something you overlooked. They are still having disruptions and expected date of completion is still in 2018 and has not changed,

This area could use two tracks and this region has seen a lot of growth over the years in terms of people living there and
Republic station will put more traffic on the line for commercial traffic. MacArthur airport is still not seeing any real growth even though the second track will improve connections to the airport although it does have untapped potential.

[johnmmurphy]

Does anyone know what was done during the outage on 6/24 and 6.25? Supposedly a switch was due to go in and misc "track work" between Brentwood / CI or CI/KO.

[MACTRAXX]

JM: There was a plethora of track work activity in the vicinity of the Carleton Avenue and Peters
Boulevard crossings in Central Islip that included numerous track machines and work crews.

There was work being performed around the the Islip Avenue crossing and it looks like any
obstructions that were in the way of the second track ROW have been moved. There is now
no notable imminent indication that the second track will be installed there such as track
panels and other crossing materials. The next weekend work outage will be July 8-9.

MACTRAXX

[MattAmity90]

I have people on Flickr, with some of them as buddies, and one of them who posts photos of the progress of the project just posted a whole new batch. This was done during this past weekend's outage:

1.) A crossover switch was installed just to the West of the Peter's Blvd. grade crossing, there was something said that from the 17th-18th outage that they put a crossover switch in between the Pond Rd. and the Ocean Ave. crossings.

2.) Track vehicles were laying down welded rails on the South side of the ROW just East of Brentwood, they were not laying down ties with a NTC machine, they were using a rail feeder vehicle. Also they have not added any additional ballast.

Some of the photos were taken from the Brentwood High School gym field.