LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

I can guess a reason the LIRR is installing conventional signals for eastbounds at Divide-1. Maybe because coming into Divide Interlocking there are a lot of switches and sometimes congestion ahead so they decided that at that one spot, engineers need all the info provided by conventional signals. Or maybe they intend to keep the old style signals all the way into Hicksville station?

But westbound at Divide-1, RAS was maybe thought to be adequate since at that point trains are leaving the complex of switches and congestion at Hicksville.

Everyone - Here is the December 2022 3TC construction updates:
https://lirrexpansion.com/2022/10/27/on ... n-updates/
Look for "December 2022 Construction Updates" - for a 7 page PDF:
Corridor Wide, Floral Park, New Hyde Park, Garden City/GC Park, Mineola, Carle Place and Westbury.

The only weekend track work is for these stations WESTBOUND ONLY on Saturday-Sunday December 10-11:
Elmont/UBS Arena, Queens Village and Hollis - Alternate local buses will run between Bellerose and Jamaica.
Hempstead Branch WB trains will operate nonstop between Bellerose and Jamaica for this outage period.

**EXCEPTION - For NY Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes hockey game at 7:30 PM Saturday December 10:
From 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM westbound trains will stop at Elmont/UBS Arena Station.
Westbound train service from the UBS Arena will be available at the Belmont Park Station after the game.
All eastbound train service will NOT be affected.**

Switch work east of Jamaica - and at Queens Interlocking - is the reason for this limited outage...

With the 2022 Holiday Season - and (anticipated) opening of Grand Central Madison Terminal later in December
major LIRR track work projects may have a winter hiatus this year with the Third Track Project basically complete
in terms of track construction - only various 3TC station and lineside ROW work remains...MACTRAXX

Everyone - updating weekend LIRR track work information in December 4 post:
The Queens Interlocking/East of Jamaica switch work has been postponed to Saturday-Sunday December 17-18.
There are no UBS Arena events for that weekend - and for that matter between December 13 and 23.
Only QUEENS VILLAGE and HOLLIS will be affected - again WESTBOUND only.
Hempstead Branch trains operate nonstop between Bellerose and Jamaica.
Local bus will be available between Bellerose and Jamaica.

The only LIRR work now scheduled is for the Valley Interlocking area overnight Friday/Saturday December 10
between 12 midnight and 8 AM. There are service changes for Babylon, Far Rockaway, Long Beach and West
Hempstead Branches noted in special card timetables issued...MACTRAXX

Re: the new full-size signal gantry facing eastbound trains at Divide-1 (just west of the Wantagh Pkwy), the new traditional position-light signals are now in operation. If you want to see it, drive to the dead-end of Bond St. running north off Old Country Rd. in the New Cassel industrial area.

Best done on a Sunday when the car dealer service dept. in that dead end block is closed. Other days the dead end is congested and you can't get up the tracks.

Rode from Atlantic Terminal to Mineola, first time on the new track. Thumbs up all around. More was done right than not. It's a major accomplishment and everyone benefits. I do indeed wish they'd done three platforms at Mineola but they could insert that at some future point without extreme disruption, and I guess their logic is that Oyster Bay traffic is low enough that they just don't care to make a physical accommodation.

Everyone - After a personal absence of over a month from Railroad.Net here is the January 2023 3TC updates:
https://lirrexpansion.com/2022/10/27/on ... n-updates/
This is in PDF form showing the monthly status of ROW and station construction - Expect the February update
to be available on Thursday or Friday 2/1 or 2/2...With the lack of any significant weather problems this winter
(so far) progress looks to be good for the completion of the Third Track Project in its entirity...MACTRAXX

Everyone - 3TC issued their February 2023 PDF update on Thursday February 2 - correcting my typo in my
last post. The same link is useable for the latest project update - Mineola and Westbury are the two stations
with the most ongoing construction...Good winter weather has no doubt helped 3TC...MACTRAXX

Edward captured a photo while enroute on his train, and when he approached Hicksville, this is something interesting he captured.

What is going on at Hicksville with the pedestal signal at DIVIDE4?

They are re doing the switches and signals there

MattAmity90 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:34 am Edward captured a photo while enroute on his train, and when he approached Hicksville, this is something interesting he captured.

What is going on at Hicksville with the pedestal signal at DIVIDE4?

52756089266_cf1d087893_k.jpg

That's actually a full-size signal. What LIRR calls pedestal signals are those smaller ones right outside of Divide Tower and at the east end of the Hicksville platform facing eastbound trains on Station Track-2.

Everyone - It has been a while - Made a trip on to the Main Line this week and went to these stops (E to W) -

Westbury - Looks to be totally complete - both overpasses are fully open along with the center underpass.
The waiting room on the Track 3 side looks to be in use - it was closed and locked on my stop...
The south parking lot is still used for 3TC construction equipment and supplies...

Mineola - The Main Street pedestrian overpass has been fully completed and in service...the overpass just
W OF Mineola Boulevard near the station building has been in service for some months now...
The waiting room on the Track 3 side is back in service - closed on weekends.

New Hyde Park - Fully completed - the renovated waiting room on the Track 3 side is open on weekdays...

I have no doubt that the mild Winter season with near-record low seasonal snow totals (under 3 inches of
total accumulation) helped 3TC to complete the Third Track Project in its entirety - I am surprised that there
has been no mention about reaching this significant LIRR historical milestone...MACTRAXX

Re: the Westbury station. Although it is virtually complete, the waiting room and ticket office have not yet re-opened. The interior of the building looks complete; don't know what they're waiting for.

Re: Mineola, why would they not have the waiting room open on weekends? There is plenty of passenger traffic there on the Sat./Sun. Mineola is a big stop on the LIRR. What are they thinking? LIRR is for weekdays only?

H-E: One tip-off about the Westbury ticket office/waiting room was that there was no hours notice posted
at or near the door areas on Platform A even though it looked to be completed...

I agree about Mineola not having the waiting room open on weekends being the most-used intermediate
station on the Main Line in the Third Track Project area...

Stopped at Floral Park this week - there was a B&B Crew on the east end of Platform A/Track 3 doing some
concrete work...FP is a busy place during PM Peak - watching Park Interlocking for both westbound trains
from Hempstead and Main Line eastbound trains through Platform B can be interesting...MACTRAXX

Do westbound Hempstead trains at Floral Park still load on Plat-B, on the traditional Hemp. Track-1 or is all Hempstead service in both directions now done on the south most track to avoid conflict with Mainline trains?

H-E: I watched trains on my stop last Thursday afternoon June 22 during the 5 PM hour at Floral Park...
I remember a Hempstead-Grand Central local board on Platform B west from the east end near the Track 2
switch at Park Interlocking watching the switch quietly be thrown to favor eastbound trains to the Main Line.
Main Line trains eastward on Track 2 not stopping at FPK go through at a good rate of speed...The drawback
for me schedule-wise to trainspot at FPK is that there is a big gap between eastbound trains to the Main Line.
I ended up walking over to New Hyde Park on what was a very pleasant day weatherwise to go back east...
FPK during the PM Peak on weekdays is a good place to watch the LIRR in action from Platform B...
MACTRAXX