Why not 4-track the Main?

Why not get it over with and 4 track the Main? The express stops would be Hicksville and Mineola. Trains from past Huntington and Ronkonkoma lines can simply skip by the local stops while locals from Huntington make those stops.

At Hicksville, there is a diamond crossover with the 4 tracks turning into 3.

Past New Hyde Park, the 4 tracks merge into two with them skipping all Hempstead stops.

Well, good idea?

Only if you were there in 1920. Today, nothing will be done.

Mike

didnt PRR want to 4 track it in 1900 due to the high freight service?

Of course 4 tracks would be ideal. Then again, the PR wasn't always thinking either - they did all sorts of bizzare shortsighted moves with the LIRR over the years.

What amazed me to this day is how they abandoned the ROW through Levittown RIGHT after it was built, or how they would actually electrify, then rip up lines....

Of course, on the flip side, a 4 track main would have likely gotten the desperately needed grade crossing elimanation, and added useful capacity.

I never understood some of the PRR's moves. Ironically, they tested their 11kv system out in Garden City, but kept laying third rail down on the LIRR long afterwards. I supposed IRT-LIRR interoperability was considered more important then?

where exactly was the levittown ROW? i lived ther for 12 years and never knew aabout it. .

A 4 track main is actually a much easier move than 3, here's why:

There's only two ways you can add a third track: Rebuilding or Displacement.

For Displacement, you move one track over and make the exsiting one the third one. Doable and less costly than 4, but not really worth it.

For Rebuilding, you f--- up the whole line to squeeze in the track. Feasbile or smart? HELL NO!!!

4 tracking the main is the less costly (vs benefit) and more far-sighted thing to do. Of course, those are the two words the MTA knows the least. But we'll see .

LIRRNOVA55: The former ROW through Levittown is now a LIPA power line ROW. It was part of the Central Railroad of Long Island from what's now Shea Stadium to Babylon. The entire ROW between Mitchel Field and B tower is still clear, as is much of the ROW from Shea to Floral Park.


How the hell is 2 tracks easier than just a 3rd track? It's going to be fairly easy to get a 3rd track in. None of the existing tracks need to be moved.

A 4th track though will take lots of eminent domain. There simply isn't the space for it. And the Franklin Av bridge was built only for a 3rd track. There is no room through Mineola for a 4th track. I have a feeling the new grade elmination project will also be just for 3 tracks and not 4.

4 would have been the right idea but 3 is fine, and re build the CRRLI and there is 2 more so the main 3 plus the CRR 2 you have 5 tracks inwich you can route trains on also increasing and creating new service opitons.

Locals to KO first stop is clinton rd. then local to KO

KO expresses via the 3rd track stopping at mineola hicksville and KO. (maby another one if needed) the KO express can go out to LD of 3rd rail goes that far in the future

NYP-Jamaica-Mineola-Hicksville-Ronkonkoma-then local stops to Riverhead.
that be fast and a much used service competing with 495.

LIRRNOVA55 wrote:where exactly was the levittown ROW? i lived ther for 12 years and never knew aabout it. .

It's about a half mile north of Hempstead Turnpike, where the high tension power lines are now.