MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

The higher off the ground a signal is, the more difficult it is to inspect and maintain.

New milestone has been reached in the project. At the site of Central Islip 1, the running track was cut off from the current running track to the new second track. Due to this trains will be using the North platform next to Long Island Avenue.

In addition, more huts are being delivered, the elevator shafts at Wyandanch are becoming more prominent as the insides of them are seeing rails put in, the Eastern half of the current Wyandanch platform is being installed, and the turnovers at Wyandanch interlocking have been straightened out.

Due to the nature of project, starting today April 30th through the Summer a special timetable has been put in place where a few trains will terminate or originate at Brentwood.

Monday, April 30 - Weekday Schedule Changes Begin on Ronkonkoma Branch
As the Double Track project moves into its final phases, weekday schedule changes are needed in order to remove the existing siding at Central Islip and install the second through-running track. Although most changes impact off-peak service, several rush hour trains are affected, starting Monday, April 30 and continuing through the end of summer. Changes include:

Westbound:
·The 7:04AM peak train from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station will originate at Brentwood. The train will depart Brentwood at 7:15 AM, with added stops at Jamaica and Kew Gardens, arriving Penn Station at 8:23 AM. Customers who normally board this train at Ronkonkoma can take alternate trains departing 8 minutes earlier at 6:56 AM or 15 minutes later at 7:19 AM.
·The 4:11 PM train from Ronkonkoma will depart two minutes earlier at all stops through Bethpage, arriving Penn Station at 5:38 PM.
· The 7:13 PM and 7:58 PM trains from Ronkonkoma will be combined into a new train, departing Ronkonkoma at 7:45 PM, arriving Penn Station at 9:12 PM.

Eastbound:
·The 5:11 AM train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma will terminate at Brentwood at 6:22 AM. Substitute buses will be provided for customers traveling to Central Islip and Ronkonkoma. Please plan for 31 minutes extra travel time.
· The 3:07 PM train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma (usual arrival time 4:25 PM) will depart Penn two minutes later at 3:09 PM and arrive Ronkonkoma at 4:30 PM.
· The 7:11 PM peak train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma (usual arrival time 8:33 PM) will depart Penn six minutes later at 7:17 PM and arrive Ronkonkoma at 8:43 PM.

Makes sense, they adjusted for all of the scheduled meets at CI.

New photos of Track 1 (which was used as a siding, but installed during the electrification) in use for revenue service. For years, I thought both platforms were used where WB trains used A, and EB used B. It's amazing how swift and rapid this project is going. As far as those huts, they are lying on a flat car behind Farmingdale's WB platform.

In addition to the awesome progress reports from Matt, here is a Progressive Railroading article: LIRR's double-track project nears completion

Brief, fair-use:

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) this spring will enter the final phases of its $387.2 million double-track project.

Starting today and through May 18, LIRR crews will work around-the-clock to connect new track to the existing second track west of the station in Central Islip, New York. Workers also will install third rail in the same area.

Pre-testing of the signal system at Central Islip will take place this week, while a cutover is planned for May 5-6, LIRR officials said in a press release.

Contractors also will work on new track and signal systems from Deer Park to Farmingdale, New York. Additionally, in preparation for track alignment in June, workers will install new track panels in Ronkonkoma, New York.
...

Everyone:

The Central Islip changes are going to be interesting because of the station facility being the only
one built during the Hicksville-Ronkonkoma Electrification that was built on the south side.
All trains primarily serve south Platform B - with Platform A a passing siding with limited use.

If all westbound trains will now serve the north platform A it will require that all riders will have to
either walk east to the Lowell Avenue crossing or walk west to the overhead bridge to cross up and
over to board trains. There are ramps at the station building on Platform B and at the Lowell Ave.
crossing for Platform A for those that require them.

There is room between Platform A and paralleling Suffolk Avenue to place a new facility that will
include TVMs someplace between the overhead bridge and the Lowell Avenue crossing.

The addition of the continuous second track is the biggest single change at Central Islip since
electric service began 30 years ago. All Ronkonkoma Branch riders should benefit from the
Second Track Project when it gets completed with added train service...MACTRAXX

Third rail has already been installed from West of the Carleton Avenue crossing, through the new Central Islip Interlocking (not sure if that will be the name, or if it will have a different name), through the Peters Blvd. and Islip Avenue crossings to about 1,000 feet East of Brentwood. If there is anyone to thank it is Edward Hand for providing photos on his Flickr account, I'm just telling you the differences in what once was. I think sometime next month they will be doing the same to CI1, because third rail has been installed from just short of the West end of the second track to a point in between Ocean Avenue and MP47. I do thank you guys for my fastidiousness, explanation, and my love for the railroad that I grew up with. Being an adult has given me much more freedom since I can drive and come back to my true home, where I grew up in NYC/Long Island whenever I please, and it has now sunk in nearly 10 years since I turned 18.

UPDATE: Your jaws will drop when you look at the new Wyandanch station coming into shape. If you head over Edward's Flickr, keep your WOW! faces short for about 10 seconds or your face will freeze! Looking at these photos, with my interest in the LIRR, interest in engineering, interest in construction (you've seen photos of my exact replica of Amityville with both elevated and grade level with two crossings, all from memory), and my Autism, I'm close to shedding tears as what you can fixate your eyes to. Enough about my emotions, lets get down to business with the progress, going East to West:

1.) The CI2 signal gantry and tall pedestal signal have their lights bagged over. I guess during the next outage those signals come off, the bridge is torn down, and I don't know if the pedestal will be turned around or removed altogether. They say it is to straighten the track out, but the second track between CI and KO is NOT ready.
2.) Station buildings at Brentwood and Deer Park have been closed for renovation, I'm not sure about Central Islip.
3.) Track work at JS continues with both crossovers installed, and possibly being surfaced.
4.) Wyandanch is the highlight with the following:

-Elevator shafts are becoming more pronounced.
-Eastern half of the North platform has been laid.
-Canopy poles are being bolted into place near the elevator shaft, other supports are on a flatbed.
-Concrete piers for the new platform have been installed at the site of the other shaft. A crane is dangling over the work site.

5.) Surfacing continues between Pinelawn and the future Wyandanch Interlocking crossover switches.

He released more photos.

We officially have two tracks that connect to the East end of the new Central Islip switches, communication line work is being done near Little East Neck Road, and the ballast around MP33 has made the two tracks even. Pinelawn hasn't seen much in the way of changes other than the new platform having the ramp officially connected.

Trains are now running through the new switches of the new Central Islip Interlocking, but they are only running on the new track. Pedestal signals are colored, not PRR position lights. I'm not sure if the siding track is being used. They are saying that there will be the elimination of the siding at Central Islip. It's confusing, but hopefully I'll find out since they will only be working non-stop only through next week on the 18th.

Layout of the current status. GREEN indicates in service, ORANGE indicates laid/under construction, and BLACK indications (?) question mark.

Was there a rule book update to handle the low homes now in service at central Islip?

More likely a "General Notice" was issued,when the low Home signals were put in service.
A "General Order" will have schedule changes and SI changes that need to replace pages in the current ETT.

Will most likely revise the Book of Rules if and when all the PRR P/L signals are gone.

The diagram I'm showing is indicating where the trains are running from the new Central Islip Interlocking to Ronkonkoma.

-The pedestal signals are colored.
-Trains run on the North track (existed), but when they get to CI Interlocking they shift to the NEW second track and use Platform B at Central Islip.
-Both tracks are connected West of Central Islip, and CI2 is out of commission with the signals covered, and there are no temporary pedestal signals.
-I know track panels have been installed at Ronkonkoma.

In this case, are both tracks being used at Central Islip, or are they going to redo the siding?

What aspects do the new CI colored ground signals display?

Slow Clear?
Slow Approach?

I'm thinking of locations where there are ground mounted color light signals existing on LIRR right now, like at Jamaica. They work like dwarf signals - with aspects indicating slow speed moves.

I see that they've installed higher speed turnouts at CI, so I'm wondering if the ground signals would display some sort of "cab signal proceed" or similar so that trains could follow the cab signal aspect and take advantage of the higher speed over the turnout. Adding an aspect would require a change to the Book of Rules.

Just wondering.