MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

Thanks bellstbarn! Great pics!

Yes, MACTRAXX, I did remember to bring the Hagstrom Atlas with me, as I have gotten lost sometimes in the region between the Main Line and the Montauk Division, mistakenly thinking the roads are on a perfect grid. What surprised me on this visit was the amount of fill needed on the Main Line east and west of the Connetquot River or Brook. I used to say that the original builders of the railroad to Greenport (and Boston-bound ships) had an easy time building a straight line on Long Island. I cannot imagine the labor needed in 1843 to elevate the tracks for a few miles between Central Islip and Ronkonkoma. The tracks are above some houses on the north side of Easton Street. I left the area and used Fifth Avenue to travel south to Vets Highway. The varying grades of the residential streets in this part of the Town of Islip must bring flooding problems in storms.
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Thanks for the suggestions to look at construction west of Central Islip.
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I had not realized that a milepost was in my photo looking east from the footbridge.

The second track has been laid from East of Carleton Avenue through the St. Peters Blvd. crossing and ends there.

Also starting today and for the next few days they will be doing work at the Ocean Avenue crossing to remove a bump and also to repair sidewalk and curbs.

BSB:

Hagstrom's Atlases (and maps) do certainly help in exploratory trips like this. The road system flunctuates enough
that it pays to have an idea what goes where so one does not have a problem getting lost.

The Ronkonkoma Branch track goes downgrade beginning about halfway between Mile 44 and 45 bottoming out W
of Lakeland Park and the Connetquot River headwaters area then goes upgrade towards the Ocean Avenue crossing
and then leveling out heading into Ronkonkoma Station east of MP 48. In your picture from the Lowell Avenue east
end of the CI platform MP 44 is just past the fenced in area around the substation - it would be clearly visible from
the east end of the north platform that faces the CI siding track.

What makes the segment between Mile 44 (just east of the Lowell Avenue crossing at Central Islip) and Mile 48 is
that it has both embankments AND trenches to keep the track at a reasonable level. Going east along 4 lane Suffolk
Avenue (County Road 100 up to Veterans Highway) there was once a big flood area at the intersection of Gibbs Rd.
(where the two track CI siding ends E) which was mitigated by adding a sump north of the road in 1977-78 when it
was first constructed. From about a quarter mile west to just east of the Veterans Highway bridge and again in the
vicinity of Milepost 47 on both sides the line is in a trench; embankments run from just east of the CI station about
a half mile east and then from just east of the Veterans Highway bridge to about half way between MP46 and 47.

The Connetquot River goes under the LIRR track in a iron pipe culvert that is actually hidden well below track level
which is about a few hundred yards west of MP46 in a wetland-type area. I have seen this area both when there is
little if any water during dry spells to where the track is literally a "moat" between lake-like spots in this flood plain.
There have been storm sewers and sumps built to alleviate problems for home owners especially those in the low
lying areas. The westernmost area along Easton Street paralleling the track seems to be the lowest point there.

There are two insect pests one must take precaution from especially during warmer weather in the Headwaters and
Park areas: Mosquitos (good repellant like OFF helps) and ticks - be careful if you stray off trail areas into woods
and don't forget to check yourself for them to be on the safe side. I have even seen warning signs concerning ticks
posted in the past back in those woods along trails.

The Central Islip-Brentwood track segment is on a much more level grading running from Carleton Avenue - which
is about midway between MP 44 and 43 and goes to east of Brentwood Station - MP 41 is at the west end of the
station near the Brentwood Road crossing. This runs from behind the MTA Police Suffolk County facility (built on
the site of the old CI Station which was closed in 1987) at Carleton/Suffolk Avenues west towards Brentwood.

MACTRAXX

Governor's Press Release

Design/Build will significantly expedite the project. We need to do more of this...

Government exception:

Governor Cuomo Announces Award of Key Contracts in LIRR Double Track Project

Contracts Represent Major Step Forward in Push to Double Capacity of the Ronkonkoma Branch Along 18 Mile Stretch Between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that two design-build contracts have been awarded for work that will significantly advance the Long Island Rail Road’s Double Track project. When completed, the project will dramatically increase capacity of the Ronkonkoma Branch along 18 miles between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma. The addition of the second track will allow the LIRR to provide more frequent off-peak service to the Ronkonkoma Branch in both directions and will increase flexibility and reduce delays associated with service disruptions. Completion of the Double Track project is targeted for the end of 2018.

“This is a major step forward in our plan to modernize one of the Long Island Rail Road’s busiest lines,” Governor Cuomo said. “The Double Track project will increase the reliability of our mass transit system, improving the commute for thousands of Long Islanders and helping to facilitate future economic growth in the entire region.”

Contract For 7.4 miles of track between Farmingdale and Central Islip

The first contract awarded is to design and construct a total of 7.4 miles of track between Farmingdale and Central Islip. The contract has been awarded to Skanska-Posillico II Joint Venture, and is valued at up to $59.7 million. The joint venture will design and build 6.1 miles of trackbed between Farmingdale and Deer Park, and 1.3 miles of trackbed between Brentwood and Central Islip. Under the Design-Build Contract for Phase 1 previously approved by the MTA Board, the civil work is nearing completion on 5.2 miles of the second track between Ronkonkoma and west of Central Islip. As a result, the project will add a total of 12.6 miles of track to an existing 5.4 miles of track, creating an 18 mile-stretch of double track.

Signal System Contract

The second contract is to design and build a new signaling system that will use computer-based train control software to better coordinate train movement when the second track is activated. The contract has been awarded to Ansaldo STS USA, Inc., and is valued at $44.8 million. The work will include final design, fabrication, delivery and system integration, and testing of new components, including transmitters and 28 new wayside “huts,” and other infrastructure associated with new interlockings at Farmingdale, Wyandanch, Deer Park, and Central Islip, and a modified interlocking at Ronkonkoma.

Design-Build Contracts

At the direction of the Governor, the LIRR is using design-build contracts for both projects. Design-build contracts call for a single team of contractors to be responsible for both designing and building an entire project in order to ensure that coordination is seamless, and that work is completed in the shortest possible time frame.

MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast said, “By using design-build contracts, we can eliminate a host of delays. When one team handles both design and construction it eliminates the all-too-common disconnect between various phases of a project, and helps move the process along at a more rapid clip. That’s good for the LIRR, good for the contractors and, most of all, good for New Yorkers.”

President of the Long Island Association Kevin Law said, “Over the past five years, we’ve strengthened Long Island’s economy by focusing on what works – like investing in world-class infrastructure, attracting first-rate jobs and driving smart growth in communities from Montauk to Melville. This new Welcome Center will build on that progress, further boosting tourism and showcasing all that Long Island has to offer. I commend Governor Cuomo for his dedication to investing in this region’s infrastructure and strengthening our local economy.”

Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone said, “I commend Governor Cuomo and the Long Island Rail Road for their efforts to add a second track to the Ronkonkoma line. This project will not only make the commute more efficient for thousands of residents, but it will continue to spur economic growth, create jobs and bring more opportunity throughout the entire region. Today we reached another important milestone in the Double Track project and I look forward to seeing it progress and create a brighter future for the entire Long Island community.”

Construction work on the Double Track project is already in progress. By the time the entire project is completed, the LIRR estimates Double Track will have injected close to $100 million into the Long Island economy.

Double Track is one of seven major LIRR construction projects subject to an innovative Project Labor Agreement with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The unions signed an agreement that will result in an estimated direct labor savings of over $6 million or about 11 percent of the total labor cost of these capital projects. The pact also provides opportunities for minorities and women to enter the trade union apprentice program and includes non-discrimination provisions in union hiring and job placement practices.

Ridership on the LIRR’s Ronkonkoma Branch is more than 48,000 each weekday. With just one track along most of the 18-mile route between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, the LIRR can operate a limited number of trains and lacks operational flexibility in the event of a disruption. If one train becomes disabled, all other trains (east and west) have no way around the problem. The construction of the Double Track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma will also support Long Island-wide resiliency by enabling the LIRR to provide better Main Line Service options in conditions where either the Montauk Branch or Port Jefferson Branch is compromised because of severe weather.

MattAmity90 wrote:The second track has been laid from East of Carleton Avenue through the St. Peters Blvd. crossing and ends there.

MA90,BSB and Everyone:

I took a look this past week at the ROW between W of the Carleton Avenue crossing and the Islip Avenue (NYS 111) Crossing at the Central Islip-Brentwood boundary...

The graded ROW is down up to the switch to the CI Team Siding which is E of the Islip Avenue crossing - there is nothing west of that point towards Brentwood...

There is no sign of any track installation even though the two welded rails are waiting for the ties to be installed and for that matter there has been no recent
construction activity - but with the news concerning the project going forward along with funding I expect that to change soon - especially due to the fact that
the Ronkonkoma-Central Islip track segment is ready for installation and completion...

MACTRAXX

Hi guys!
I’m a pretty new LIRR commuter and have one question that bothers me about Ronkonkoma branch and its double track project. Why did they start on the west side? It just doesn't make sense to me. I was looking for an answer and all I could find was that: embankment between CI and Ronkonkoma is the hardest part and this is why they started there. But it's crazy, so I thought there must a more logical reason.
LIRR from Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale in peak doesn't work. There is no connection for 2,5h (from 5 to 7:30 in Deer Park for example). Red square in schedule:


I'm not an expert, but shouldn't it be extended village after village? With "west to east" solution Deer Park or Wyandanch would gain an additional train or two between 5 and 7:30 like 3 years sooner (green square).

And second question, more important.. someone in this thread said that maybe RO-CI part is more important for LIRR. Why? What will be changed in the schedule gap after phase 1?

Will they even be able to run any extra reverse peak trains until they build the 3rd mainline track?

Anna wrote:Hi guys!
I’m a pretty new LIRR commuter and have one question that bothers me about Ronkonkoma branch and its double track project. Why did they start on the west side? It just doesn't make sense to me. I was looking for an answer and all I could find was that: embankment between CI and Ronkonkoma is the hardest part and this is why they started there. But it's crazy, so I thought there must a more logical reason.
LIRR from Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale in peak doesn't work. There is no connection for 2,5h (from 5 to 7:30 in Deer Park for example). Red square in schedule:


I'm not an expert, but shouldn't it be extended village after village? With "west to east" solution Deer Park or Wyandanch would gain an additional train or two between 5 and 7:30 like 3 years sooner (green square).

And second question, more important.. someone in this thread said that maybe RO-CI part is more important for LIRR. Why? What will be changed in the schedule gap after phase 1?

That's because the dashed lines indicate that the train will NOT stop at those stations, it will express them. Secondly, if there are dashed lines from Ronkonkoma through Pinelawn highlighted in the green square you showed us, that's because NOT all peak rush hour trains or trains on Ronkonkoma Branch originate or terminate at Ronkonkoma. Farmingdale is a MAJOR hub and termination point. There is an electrified storage track that begins in the Western part of FARM Interlocking that runs on the North side of the ROW.

To clarify, what was said above was what I typed, I had to use my different tag because I had lost my password for my real one, and I just had it reset.

What could possibly change after finishing phase1 of this project? Is it about reliability of the current trains or will they add a train for reverse commuters?

Anna wrote:What could possibly change after finishing phase1 of this project? Is it about reliability of the current trains or will they add a train for reverse commuters?

Finishing Phase 1 is big because it gives all AM and PM Rush Hour trains a clear shot to just depart or arrive without any issues since the branch goes (as of right now) from double to single just to the East of the Pond Road crossing and stays like that all the way to just East of the Lowell Avenue crossing neighboring Central Islip. No more having to wait for the three vertical lights after an opposing train goes through the switch. Plus it is at the termination point! The whole point of the project is to complete what was left off after we electrified the branch in the 80's. We ran out of money to double track from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma and electrify it in unison. We did manage to add a second track from JG Interlocking in Deer Park that goes all the way to the East of Brentwood, and double track from East of Carleton Avenue to East of Lowell Avenue. After it's all said and done, they will be able to divert an express around a local by using the second track instead of waiting in line like at a supermarket.

Anna wrote:What could possibly change after finishing phase1 of this project? Is it about reliability of the current trains or will they add a train for reverse commuters?

As you've discovered looking at the train timetable, there are not a lot of options for the reverse commute between Penn and Ronk.

This just came up as I was thinking:

I know that with the project there will be modifications to grade crossings, stations, roadways within the vicinity of those crosssings, and of course the installation of a second platform at Pinelawn and Wyandanch. However, what about the switch interlockings?

Will some of the switches be eliminated such as Brent or CI One? Will there be new interlockings of crossover switches constructed or will they just convert the current single Y switches into crossovers?

AnsaldoSTS has a contract with the LIRR to replace and reconfigure three interlockings to support the new double track project. I believe the three are KO1, CI1, CI2.