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  • HICKSVILLE-RONKONKOMA ELECTRIFICATION 1987-2007 20 YEARS!

  • Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.
Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

Moderator: Liquidcamphor

 #1561336  by MACTRAXX
 
Everyone:

On the 33rd Anniversary of the completion of the Hicksville-Ronkonkoma Electrification it is time to mention
changes to the Ronkonkoma Branch and Main Line that have been accomplished in recent years:

The completion of the Ronkonkoma Yard (Mid-Suffolk Expansion) Project doubling storage capacity
The full completion of the Double Track Project between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma
Passing the midway point of the Main Line Third Track Project (Floral Park-Hicksville)

The ridership losses resulting from the ongoing pandemic were not even beginning yet one year ago today.
Those changes have a huge affect going forward for the future of the LIRR and rail transit in general depending
on when a state of normalcy returns and riders return to the trains. The past 12 months have been quite an
experience for all of us remembering how life in general was back in January 2020...MACTRAXX
 #1561375  by MattAmity90
 
MACTRAXX wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 11:00 am Everyone:

On the 33rd Anniversary of the completion of the Hicksville-Ronkonkoma Electrification it is time to mention
changes to the Ronkonkoma Branch and Main Line that have been accomplished in recent years:

The completion of the Ronkonkoma Yard (Mid-Suffolk Expansion) Project doubling storage capacity
The full completion of the Double Track Project between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma
Passing the midway point of the Main Line Third Track Project (Floral Park-Hicksville)

The ridership losses resulting from the ongoing pandemic were not even beginning yet one year ago today.
Those changes have a huge affect going forward for the future of the LIRR and rail transit in general depending
on when a state of normalcy returns and riders return to the trains. The past 12 months have been quite an
experience for all of us remembering how life in general was back in January 2020...MACTRAXX
Even though I'm 30 years old now, I do my part by stopping the spread and doing it for the sake of the immunocompromised by wearing a mask, washing/sanitizing my hands, and keeping 6+ feet apart from anyone. I don't see normalcy returning until Q3 of this year when more and more people are vaccinated. Unlike in years' past where I thought I have nothing, I can breathe again knowing how far we've come in 12 months. Just remember last year was an awful year for not just all of us, but for the entire planet.

Enough of that, but when the project was underway many in Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood, and Central Islip were worried about express trains at all times of the day flying by at 80 MPH with grade crossings that looked hazardous (Straight Path and Executive Drive for example). I haven't been back home since April 2019, which is when I went round trip on a train on the Ronkonkoma Branch AFTER the double-track project was completed. It seems that the number of express trains has decreased now (except for Pinelawn) that we have a fully double-tracked branch, given that express trains were frequent when the leg from Farmingdale to Deer Park was single-tracked, but how often does the branch see express trains now, and if so do they fly at 70-80 MPH?
 #1618143  by MACTRAXX
 
Everyone - Before major LIRR systemwide schedule changes this year for the opening of Grand Central (Madison)
completing East Side Access - there was the 1987-1988 completion of the Hicksville-Ronkonkoma Electrification.
This project was finished on time and in budget - and brought timetable changes and new service options.

I thought about placing this information in with GC Timetables to show how schedules were revised with these
significant changes such as what occurred in 1988 - I decided to put them in the correct topic where they belong.

Ronkonkoma Branch (Form 3) Timetables were issued:
January 18, 1988; January 18, 1988 (*Star Edition revision in February); March 14, 1988; May 31-June 12, 1988
(Track Work-Greenport Scoot midday weekday bus); June 13, 1988; August 22, 1988; October 31, 1988 and
February 21, 1989 - will be mentioned in this overview.

Covered will be high ridership weekday peak trains - with schedule revisions for the listed timetables.
1 - January 18, 1988 - Prime Westbound Trains - AM Peak:
#2013: Leave Ronkonkoma 6:30 AM; Hicksville 6:51 AM - Arrive Penn Station 7:29 AM.
#2019: Leave Ronkonkoma 7:25 AM - Express to Penn Station 8:22 AM (C/W Greenport-Ronkonkoma Scoot)
Prime Eastbound Trains - PM Peak:
#2062: Leave Penn Station 4:52 PM - Wyandanch first stop 5:43 PM - stops to Ronkonkoma 6:03 PM.
#2066: Leave Penn Station 5:21 PM - Wyandanch first stop 6:13 PM - stops to Ronkonkoma 6:33 PM.
#2070: Leave Penn Station 5:41 PM - Hicksville 6:25 PM - Arrive Ronkonkoma 6:46 PM (C/W Greenport Scoot)
2 - January 18, 1988 *Star Edition Revision February:
AM Peak: Greenport Scoot re-timed 20 minutes earlier to connect with #2017 - Leave Ronkonkoma 7:02 AM
All stops (except Pinelawn) to Hicksville 7:38 AM - Express to Penn Station - Arrive 8:16 AM
PM Peak: #2062 adds Hicksville stop 5:30 PM for intermediate connecting service.
3 - March 14, 1988 - AM Peak:
#2307-NEW Train: Leave Farmingdale 6:58 AM; Bethpage 7:02 AM; Hicksville 7:12 AM-EXP to Penn Station 7:50 AM.
#2099-NEW FBA Train: Leave Ronkonkoma 6:52 AM-stops to Hicksville (ex. Pinelawn)7:28 AM; Mineola 7:37 AM;
Jamaica - Arrive 7:50/Leave 7:51 AM - Arrive Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn 8:07 AM
#2019 adds Central Islip stop at 7:29 AM (7:23 AM Ronkonkoma, CI 7:29 AM - Express to Penn Station 8:22 AM)
4 - August 22, 1988:
#2019 AM Peak Revised Time: Leave Ronkonkoma 7:25 AM; CI 7:31 AM - Express to Penn Station 8:24 AM
5 - October 31, 1988:
#2070 PM Peak - adds Central Islip stop at 6:42 PM (Leave Penn Station 5:41 PM; Hicksville 6:25 PM; CI 6:42 PM;
Arrive Ronkonkoma 6:48 PM - connects with Scoot to Greenport leaving Ronkonkoma 6:52 PM)
6 - February 21, 1989 AM Peak schedule adjustments:
#2013 - Leave Ronkonkoma 6:29 AM; Leave Hicksville 6:50 AM - Express to Penn Station - Arrive 7:29 AM
#2307 - Leave Farmingdale 6:57 AM; Bethpage 7:01 AM; Hicksville 7:06 AM - EXP to Penn Station - Arrive 7:45 AM
#2017 - Leave Ronkonkoma 7:05 AM; Deer Park 7:17 AM; Wyandanch 7:22 AM; Farmingdale 7:28 AM;
Bethpage 7:32 AM; Hicksville 7:38 AM - Express to Penn Station - Arrive 8:16 AM
#2019 - Add Brentwood Stop 7:32 AM (Leave Ronkonkoma 7:22 am; CI 7:28 AM; BWD 7:32 AM -
Express to Penn Station - Arrive 8:25 AM)

Number of Ronkonkoma Branch Peak Hour Trains:
January 18, 1988 - AM Peak Westbound: 10 trains from Ronkonkoma, 1 from Farmingdale.
PM Peak Eastbound: 10 trains to Ronkonkoma, 1 to Farmingdale.
February 21, 1989 - AM Peak Westbound : 11 trains from Ronkonkoma, 2 from Farmingdale.
PM Peak Eastbound: 10 trains to Ronkonkoma, 1 to Farmingdale.

During 1988 Central Islip was the single fastest-growing ridership station on the LIRR - there were TWO prime
reasons for this growth: 1-Overflow from Ronkonkoma because of inadequate parking availability.
2-Riders from Smithtown, Islip and Great River (in that order) taking advantage of the new one-seat ride
available from the electrified service on the Ronkonkoma Branch into Fare Zone 10 for the first time.

An example of how quickly ridership grew on the Ronkonkoma Branch then - what planners thought would
occur in a five year timespan 1988 to 1992 actually reached that projected level by Fall 1989.

Some of these express trains in both directions ran with basically the same stops and times up until the
March 2020 schedule reductions with "The Problem" and were not returned to the timetable as service
gradually increased to the 70 percent level (compared to 2019) in the past two years primarily.

By the Fall of 2024 there should be a determination based on demand if limited stop express service
returns to the LIRR's highest ridership branches and stations to NYC terminals.

The Hicksville-Ronkonkoma Electrification became a long-term success story for the LIRR 35 years later.
Let's hope that ESA and GC's completion can eventually follow suit in the future...MACTRAXX