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  • Removing The Secret Minute at the Terminal Station

  • 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

 #1582618  by R36 Combine Coach
 
BuddR32 wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 1:01 am
R36 Combine Coach wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 1:38 am
Kelly&Kelly wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 3:18 pm
Question - what is the official top speed on the mainline?
M-series (M-1 to M-9) have always been 80 mph, through M-1s were designed for at
least100 (1968 Budd product literature).
Can do it too, been on one that made 102
Test run or actual service?
 #1582620  by Kelly&Kelly
 
How can a 'modern' commuter railroad even justify such slow trains?
How can a modern highway justify traffic backups? How can my $70,000 Ford break down?

Your question is not an operational one, but a political one and is probably best directed to the Governor's Office.

Here your question is simply complaining, and I doubt we're the venue for that, just because we've heard it all before and can't answer your question. Facebook has a "I Hate the LIRR" group to celebrate your disdain with other like-minded malcontents. They have form letters you can send to the proper elected officials and resume templates. They sell stickers too.
 #1582643  by photobug56
 
I think the question is very relevant in a day where we want to get people out of cars and into mass transit - but the commuter train part of mass transit is amazingly slow. I'd agree that politics is part of the problem, but I don't believe any NY governor will ever pay any viable attention to it except to highlight major projects where there is the hope that the project will make the governor look good.

Commuters on LIRR can easily spend several hundred dollars per month and 3 to 5 or more hours per day commuting even though the actual distances of their commutes are fairly short. And that's on a good day when nothing major breaks down. I know this is not Japan with high speed bullet trains, but LIRR (and presumably MN) ought to be a lot faster. This not about hating LIRR but believing it could perform a lot better than it does. IMHO, we shouldn't have such slow trains in the NYC metro area. It's part of what makes commuting in the region so miserable. And that can drive firms out of the area, reducing jobs and tax revenue.
 #1582654  by Kelly&Kelly
 
You are correct. So what are you doing about it other than asking me why the train is not faster?

This thread reminds us of a customer who would write to the Railroad monthly - for several years actually - demanding that we fire any engineer who "doesn't drive his train faster". Great idea, don't you think?
 #1582718  by photobug56
 
Sarcasm won't get any farther than writing the governor. But in reality, nothing changes without a clear understanding of why LIRR is so slow. The usual 'explanations' don't cover it. Sure, Jamaica is slow. But schedules mostly unchanged from the 19th Century might. And maybe some parts work better, like perhaps Great Neck Port Washington. Or not. But Port Jeff is between awful and horrible - and super slow. Of course, unlike much of Nassau, lots of grade crossings, single tracking, unreliable diesel equipment, nowhere near enough direct service IN RUSH HOUR to Penn, no chance perhaps for decades for direct service at all to GCT. And no one really to ask for improvements. MTA board - PJ clearly not any sort of priority. PCAC, LIRCC are great but in the end have little influence on the MTA board for things like this.

So no, I'm not stupid enough to blame the 'train driver'. But in the nearly 30 years since my first commute from Long Island, I've gotten tired of the mediocrity. BUT - if anyone has any good ideas on how to improve things, it would be the experts here. And that's NOT sarcasm.
 #1583315  by BuddR32
 
R36 Combine Coach wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 1:32 am
BuddR32 wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 1:01 am
R36 Combine Coach wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 1:38 am
Kelly&Kelly wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 3:18 pm
Question - what is the official top speed on the mainline?
M-series (M-1 to M-9) have always been 80 mph, through M-1s were designed for at
least100 (1968 Budd product literature).
Can do it too, been on one that made 102
Test run or actual service?
Actual service, about 20 years ago, A now retired engineer knew how to fool the M1 ASC into Cutout. Then he’d leave it in P4 on the straight a way.

Likely have been disqualified if he was caught, but I guess it was a bit different then.

Can’t do it today, even in CO they’re limited to 80