Massapequa and Wantagh Station Renovations

Phase 1B of the project begins today (Wed 8/21). The entire eastern half of the platform and the elevator is now closed for the rehab work: http://thelirrtoday.blogspot.com/2013/0 ... tform.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the reminder. However, I think it's the western half, not the eastern half that is closed.
Joe

Yes, I keep mixing those up! The side closer to Broadway and not the preserve! (this project brings back up a lot of childhood memories!)

Speaking of capital projects for the LIRR, has anything come up about Wantagh being renovated getting the green light, and what is the update on the Second Track project on the Ronkonkoma Branch?

At Massapequa's east end, a wooden staircase has replaced the escalator. Passengers exiting the trains use either staircase (old concrete or temporary wooden) to reach the passageway that now includes two ticket machines. I saw an afternoon train unload without problem, as the barricade across the platform (at the 6-car mark) forces riders in the correct direction to the available stairways. As of 8.22.2013, the central passageway under the tracks is still open, but the stairs are closed, and the ticket machines have been relocated. The signage needs review, as some signs TO TICKETS and TO TRAINS point the wrong way.

MattAmity90 wrote:Speaking of capital projects for the LIRR, has anything come up about Wantagh being renovated getting the green light, and what is the update on the Second Track project on the Ronkonkoma Branch?

Work on the Wantagh station will likely commence 6-8 months after Massapequa's done.

Haven't head all that much about the second track...supposedly they were going to start doing some prep work this summer...not sure how much actually got done, though.

Friday morning, 8.23.2013, passengers for the 7:14 to Penn Station have already clumped into their platform positions. The last six cars of the ten-car train no. 1013 will offer twelve doors for entry, as the west half of the platform is now closed. The train makes only three stops (Massapequa Park, Massapequa, and Seaford) before speeding non-stop to Penn. Clicking on the photo might enlarge it.


Massapequa to Penn 8.23.2013 by sphoto33, on Flickr

Weekdays, crews are working at the west half of the Massapequa station. Weekends, there is track work, now at Massapequa Park station and west of it. My vocabulary may be wrong, but it appears that the plates and spikes holding the guard rails in place are being replaced. Also, the third rail insulators on Track 2 look new. By guard rail, I mean the extra rails between the running rails; they keep a derailed train from toppling off the trestle, if I understand it correctly. Is there a different term for what I call the guard rails?
Below, is Track 2 at Massapequa Park Station, with new fastenings:


Renovated Track 2 at Massapequa Park by sphoto33, on Flickr


Renovated Track 2 at Massapequa Park by sphoto33, on Flickr

Track 2 was in service on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Crews were renovating Track 1, shown below.


Marks in preparation for renovating Track 1. by sphoto33, on Flickr


Renovating Track 1 by sphoto33, on Flickr

As passengers comfortably observe an eastbound local arrive.


Eastbound arrives, and the bench is not chosen. by sphoto33, on Flickr

bellstbarn wrote:Weekdays, crews are working at the west half of the Massapequa station. Weekends, there is track work, now at Massapequa Park station and west of it. My vocabulary may be wrong, but it appears that the plates and spikes holding the guard rails in place are being replaced. Also, the third rail insulators on Track 2 look new. By guard rail, I mean the extra rails between the running rails; they keep a derailed train from toppling off the trestle, if I understand it correctly. Is there a different term for what I can the guard rails?
Below, is Track 2 at Massapequa Park Station, with new fastenings:


Renovated Track 2 at Massapequa Park by sphoto33, on Flickr


Renovated Track 2 at Massapequa Park by sphoto33, on Flickr

Track 2 was in service on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Crews were renovating Track 1, shown below.


Marks in preparation for renovating Track 1. by sphoto33, on Flickr


Renovating Track 1 by sphoto33, on Flickr

As passengers comfortably observe an eastbound local arrive.


Eastbound arrives, and the bench is not chosen. by sphoto33, on Flickr

Thank you for the update, man the Babylon Branch still looks the same, but seeing the construction is unusual. Looking at it, it makes me miss my home turf, I might take a trip into LI and snap some photographs of the work and take the train in.

I was visiting the Massapequa area this weekend and I stopped by the Massapequa station to see how the Massapequa Station Platform Rehabilitation project is coming along. When I pulled into the parking lot I was actually quite surprised the progress that has been made since my last visit to the area.

The entire western 4-cars of the platform are completely gone, all the way down to the supports. The rest of the western half of the platform is not far behind either. They have most of the canopy off and they're working on abating the rest of it.

At this stage the elevator is closed off, so the station is no longer handicap accessible (the nearest stations with elevators now being Seaford and Babylon). With the closure of the complete western half of the platform, the only access to the station is now at the far east end of the platform (which is quite a hike from some of the parking lots which are to the west of the station).

To improve access to the platform, the LIRR ripped out the escalator as part of Phase 1A and replaced it with a plain wooden staircase.

Below you can see the photos I took from my visit on Saturday. I didn't have my good camera with me, so I just have a bunch of photos that I took with my phone.











Phases 1A and 1B are expected to run through the Spring of 2014. After that, the entire east half of the platform will get closed off for a similar treatment.

Work has appeared to come quite a distance in a relatively short amount of time. Once things get going, the LIRR can get some good things done. Soon we'll see new supports and concrete being laid, and then we won't be all that far from a brand new station platform for Massapequa.

(Note: larger sized/higher resolution images are available here)

So by the Spring of next year, the Western end of the platform will have a platform laid with new supports, a new canopy, and that will be put into service? I know what they are doing, but the Western End of the new Massapequa station will be in service by Spring?

MattAmity90 wrote:So by the Spring of next year, the Western end of the platform will have a platform laid with new supports, a new canopy, and that will be put into service? I know what they are doing, but the Western End of the new Massapequa station will be in service by Spring?

That's the plan. After that the full eastern half of the platform will be closed off and given a similar treatment.

lirr42 wrote:

MattAmity90 wrote:So by the Spring of next year, the Western end of the platform will have a platform laid with new supports, a new canopy, and that will be put into service? I know what they are doing, but the Western End of the new Massapequa station will be in service by Spring?

That's the plan. After that the full eastern half of the platform will be closed off and given a similar treatment.

Cool, then we will see how the station is going to be designed. I have a feeling they are going to breeze through this project like they did with Seaford. I have a feeling that's going to happen, so that they have all the time in the world to put in the pocket track. All that's left to ponder is will the station be fully canopied or partially?

MattAmity90 wrote:All that's left to ponder is will the station be fully canopied or partially?

99% chance it will only be partially canopied. Why spend all that money covering the full thing when we can only cover the staircases and waiting areas and save some money?

Someone sent me this photo of crews working to take down the elevator shaft one Saturday morning. I now hear that the elevator shaft is down completely and all but the immediate areas around the staircase is down to the concrete supports. It looks like work is progressing well.

Not sure if this is related or not, but there seems to be a substantial amount of work going on east of Massapequa Park as well (they've been single tracking during all off-peak times lately). Does anyone know what they're up to there?