MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

[MACTRAXX]

BSB:

I am very familiar with this track section having lived in the area since the late 60s...

The walkbridge is located adjacent to MP47 and allows access to schools on the S side of Easton Street and leads to the vicinity of Johnson Avenue and Pamlico Avenue...

There is a square shaped pedestrian underpass culvert located at MP46 that connects Lakeland Park and the Connetquot Headwaters nearby to the W end of Easton Street south of the track(s)...

The walkways over the wetlands in Lakeland Park are interesting to explore...

The Veterans Highway bridge in Islandia is located at MP45...Built by Suffolk County in 1949 and was conveyed to the State of New York in the early 70s when NYS 454 was assigned...

This post and pictures has made me even more interested in the progress of the Double Track Project...

MACTRAXX

[bellstbarn]

Many thanks, MACTRAXX, for the locations of the mileposts and for the description of the underpass and the bridge. Much appreciated help.
Joe

[Teutobergerwald]

Any NYA customers in danger of losing their spurs, or are spurs factored into the new construction?

[Amtrak7]

Any NYA customers in danger of losing their spurs, or are spurs factored into the new construction?

This will be a question in Phase II, which I don't believe is under design yet.

Phase I goes from KO to some point a little bit west of CI-1.

[Teutobergerwald]

What is the latest with this project? Anybody have any photos to post of the work? Thanks.

[MattAmity90]

They reached a milestone with the project just west of Ronkonkoma.

[MNCRR9000]

RONKONKOMA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Congestion relief may be coming to a major branch of the Long Island Rail Road.

As CBS2’s Meg Baker reported, 48,000 commuters ride the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma line each weekday and commuters say at times it isn’t a pleasant ride.

“It gets crowded later on in the day and everyone is pushing,” said commuter Giusppe Carrieri.


“There’s always delays on the Long Island Rail Road,” said commuter Susan Wright.

On Thursday, the LIRR announced an upgrade to improve service.

“This line was built 170 years ago. But it wasn’t until 1988 that it was actually electrified. In the intervening time, the ridership on this branch has doubled,” said LIRR President Pat Nowakowski.

And now, 27 years later the railroad is rolling out a $388 million double track project to add an 18-mile line of track to the busy Ronkonkoma branch.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/08/27/ ... -weekends/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Head-end View]

Why are they double tracking the east end of this territory first? Wouldn't it make more sense to gradually extend the double-track east from Farmingdale instead of west from KO?

[vince]

Speculating now . . .
Possibly for ease of scheduling? Moving the meets west would allow more trains to run from completion of the first 2T segment (block?). Availability of sufficient power?
regards,
vince.

[MattAmity90]

I think it's because they want to double-track it first at the termination point of Ronkonkoma so that there isn't a bottleneck.

Phase 1 is actually Ronkonkoma to basically East of Brentwood. Phase 2 is going to be big since it encompasses double-tracking from Deer Park to Farmingdale.

-Redo several grade crossings
-Add more to Wyandanch LIRR Station
-Dealing with all those spurs.

[jamestrains1]

I think it's because they want to double-track it first at the termination point of Ronkonkoma so that there isn't a bottleneck.

Phase 1 is actually Ronkonkoma to basically East of Brentwood. Phase 2 is going to be big since it encompasses double-tracking from Deer Park to Farmingdale.

-Redo several grade crossings
-Add more to Wyandanch LIRR Station
-Dealing with all those spurs.

The east-west construction staging provides greater operating benefits than beginning at the western end of the project area.

Long Island Rail Road Double Track Project - Environmental Assessment Executive Summary
http://web.mta.info/lirr/doubletrack/Fi ... ummary.pdf
see pdf pg. 11-12

[Jeff Smith]

Similar to the above map:

[MattAmity90]

Now, where I see those crossover diamonds, are some of those going to be temporary (such as the one East of Islip Avenue) or are those going to be crossovers that will replace the old ones? Something tells me that the existing switches such as JS will become crossover switches instead of a single one.

[pparalikia]

The east-west construction staging provides greater operating benefits than beginning at the western end of the project area.

but what are these "operating benefits", specifically? just because someone types it in a report someplace doesn't mean it's true.

[R36 Combine Coach]

Widening or double-decking the LIE may be one thing, but the Main Line double track widening could be the most significant "capacity" expansion project on the Island since Robert Moses left office. I wonder why the double track widening wasn't done in 1986-88 during electrification?