LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

Thanks gamer4616 and UN Block. I did see the Secondary track had 3rd rail installed and the switch was lined from station track 1 to the secondary track when passing on station track 2.

This weekend will be marking another milestone, and major step in the project will cause the four consecutive weekend outages for Hempstead Branch customers.

Starting on this weekend (July 24th-25th) Hempstead service will be suspended between Hempstead and Floral Park for switch installation as part of the Third Track Project. I guess that means switches where the Hempstead diverts to the South from the Main Line. As far as the switches go, are both tracks going to have switches or just the track that is serviced by the island platform?

Everyone - The upcoming LIRR Hempstead Branch switch installation project is for these four weekends:
July 24-25; July 31-August 1; August 7-8 and 14-15.
https://new.mta.info/article/july-24-25 ... -hempstead
(The original plan posted in the Floral Park page at the 3TC website was for four consecutive Saturdays only.)

Alternate service will be: Bellerose-Bus or van to Queens Village; Floral Park-open for Main Line train service.
All stations between Stewart Manor and Hempstead - Bus and/or van service to Mineola.

Hourly train service will operate between Atlantic Terminal and Mineola directly serving Hollis, Queens Village,
Floral Park (East-Platform B; West-Platform A) and Mineola.

MA90: One of these new switches is going to be located at the east end of Floral Park Platform B.
This will connect Track ML1 to the Hempstead Branch westward track through Floral Park Station.

3TC progress in the Summer of 2021 continues...MACTRAXX

How is service on this switch going to work? Wouldn't westbound Hempstead service be in direct conflict with eastbound Main Line service?

Pensyfan19 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:48 pm How is service on this switch going to work? Wouldn't westbound Hempstead service be in direct conflict with eastbound Main Line service?

PF: The Hempstead Branch between Queens and Garden (13.3 and 18.7 from LIC - 5.4 miles) may have
the two tracks "reversed" to operate opposite of how they are are run now which will end directional conflict.

Four Hempstead Branch stations will be directly affected by this change-Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Nassau
Boulevard and Garden City. Service at Bellerose would be on the opposite side of the single island platform.

Floral Park presents an interesting change - Platform C would become the boarding point for westbound
trains from Hempstead - and (increased) Platform A service would be for westbound Main Line trains.
The large island Platform B would be served by eastbound trains operating on both tracks.

Depending on where the additional switches are to be installed this "opposite" track territory may only be
at Floral Park and Bellerose - with Hempstead Branch trains "crossing over" between Floral Park and Nassau
Boulevard to their traditional tracks. The 3TC plans should show any new or added switch locations.

This Hempstead Branch directional conflict is a relatively easy problem to solve...MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX, re: your earlier post from Jul 22nd, won't it be the new Mainline Track-2 (south track) that will connect to Hemp. Track-1 east of Fl.Pk. Station. ML-1 will be the center track east of Floral Park which is the old ML-2.

PF: The Hempstead Branch between Queens and Garden (13.3 and 18.7 from LIC - 5.4 miles) may have
the two tracks "reversed" to operate opposite of how they are are run now which will end directional conflict.

Four Hempstead Branch stations will be directly affected by this change-Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Nassau
Boulevard and Garden City. Service at Bellerose would be on the opposite side of the single island platform.

Very interesting to hear. Do you happen to know of any other American or Canadian commuter rail routes which are deliberately "wrong railed" like this?

There is one in the Chicago area but I forget which railroad it is.

The C&NW, from the beginning of double-tracking, adopted left-hand running because, whether by coincidence or some other circumstance, many station buildings were located on the right-hand side (as you go away from Chicago), and if they adopted right-hand running, trains headed for Chicago would be on the track away from the station; and Chicago weather being what it is passengers would wait inside the station until the last minute and then cross in front of the arriving train. Sooner or later the railroad would have had to build a number of heated waiting rooms on the eastbound side to avoid that problem and decided on left-hand running instead.

In Cleveland, Shaker Heights Rapid Transit and CRT share trackage over a portion of the route; as I recall the SHRT adopted left-hand running in that area so the PCCs, having doors only on the right, could use the island platforms, and CRT, which came later, conforms, the CRT trains using outside high-level platforms. (Some of those details may be wrong, but I'm going by memory here.)

BNSF (former AT&SF) and UP (former UP) have left-hand running on parts of the Transcon and the Overland Route, respectively, for topographical reasons; when the second track was added a different alignment was chosen and trains are routed over the track having more favorable grades for one direction than the other, and if the two tracks come back together left-handed, they just stay that way for awhile.

The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern was left-hand running until Vanderbilt acquired it, as did the Ohio & Mississippi, later part of the B&O main line from Cincinnati to East St. Louis, in the territory around East St. Louis, and I have never been able to track down a reason.

1.) Finally, after wondering and wondering and wondering and...wondering when those wooden poles were going to be decommissioned at Merillon Avenue has been answered. This week the wires have been cut, and the poles cut and taken down.
2.) The Western end of Platform A at Westbury has been razed, with other activity taking place on the Western halves.
3.)Willis Avenue is getting closer to reopening. Concrete walls still have to be erected, and the entire stretch paved.
4.) The new Third Track is being laid out at NASSAU 1, while CWR (Continuous Welded Rail) has been laid East of Floral Park where the new track will be laid.
5.) I've got nothing on New Hyde Park, but for Carle Place I'm guessing that work is wrapping up, but the temporary Platform B will stay there until the track is laid (which won't happen until the current NASSAU 3 is rendered obsolete.

Mineola goings on. All photos: Bill Mangahas
New platform construction


With a set of M-9's thrown in.

Willis Ave. south of the tracks.

The last pic is of Willis Ave, not Main St. Main St will not cross the tracks.

BM - One question: Is Nassau Tower still standing?
The new Platform B in Mineola construction stands out as a significant change...
The opening of the new Willis Avenue underpasses looks to be somewhat imminent as shown...

Everyone: The 3TC updates for August 2021 (after two plus weeks away from Railroad.Net)
https://lirrexpansion.com/2021/07/30/up ... ugust-2021
The opening of the new Westbury parking garage has now been announced...MACTRAXX

Yes, Nassau is still with us. Not sure if the abatement work is done yet. Last I heard was “September.”