LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

Today's Newsday had an article with updates on the upcoming weekend service suspensions, etc. They say the third track is expected to become operational on Aug. 15th from Floral Park to "Garden City. " I assume they mean to Merillon Ave. Station, actually Nassau-1 Interlocking just east of the station. And on Aug. 29th as far East as Carle Place, but I assume they mean Nassau-3 Interlocking just east of Mineola, since the next interlocking further east would be Divide at the west end of the Hicksville area.

This is all sooner than I expected, so lets keep our fingers crossed.

Somehow it feels surreal, because to think it only feels like yesterday that Urban Avenue was grade separated, and now all grade crossings are removed. To go along with it, nearly all of the stations are completed, and construction crews (electrical department, rail crew) have actually been working quicker.

Both New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue's temporary wooden platforms have been removed now. Crews have now laid the track down, balanced the ballast, and started electrifying it. I can see service beginning from Floral Park to NASSAU1 soon. Most of the track has been laid out from NASSAU1 to NASSAU3, with ballast work underway. Although, this past weekend's outage was to install a second switch on MLT3 to the Oyster Bay Branch. Both tracks of the OB Branch will divert off of the Main Line via Track 3, while the other 2 will be straight. By September, I could see the Third Track (all 3 tracks) in service from Floral Park to just East of Roslyn Road. Oyster Bay service will also see outages so they can install new switches for NASSAU4. The only areas that haven't had new the new track laid down is near the Meadowbrook Parkway, in between Carle Place and Westbury, and a tiny stretch in between Westbury and the Wantagh Parkway.

With the tracks officially reconfigured in Mineola, with MLT3 possessing the switches and all Oyster Bay Branch service, will this have an effect on electrified trains to East Williston? I haven't seen the tracks on the 30 MPH curve get the third rail back.

This is my 1024th post, which matches my birthday.

What is the logic of having both OB tracks come off the “NY bound side”?

Which switching pattern is more disruptive?
Having bi-di OB trains come off one track
Or
The old pattern that used to exist?

Could they not have used a track layout similar to myrtle Av on the J and M?


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I've been wondering about that myself. The way they set it up is kind of limiting and inflexible. And it means a westbound mainline local might have to hold east of the split while an eastbound to Oyster Bay makes its station stop at Mineola and then turns up the Branch. How much sense does that make? Or conversely an Oyster Bay eastbound train may have to hold west of Mineola on the middle track while the westbound mainline train makes its station stop and then clears the interlocking going west.

Either way it's bad.

MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 1:33 pm Everyone - The MTA has posted information about Main Line changes for installation of the new Third Track:
https://new.mta.info/mainline
https://new.mta.info/article/hicksville ... hange-2022
There will be upcoming weekend outages between Floral Park and Hicksville August 27-28;
September 10-11 and 17-18 with alternate service as outlined in the July 30 3TC monthly update...
Major changes are ahead for the Third Track Project as noted for August and September...MACTRAXX

H-E View - In these two articles posted by the MTA there is a brief overview about how the three tracks
on the Main Line are going to be numbered between Floral Park and Hicksville...
Without getting into a confusing "Who's On First?" routine over the designated track numbers they are:
(including platforms - north side is Platform A; south side is Platform B)
From North to South:
Track 3 - primarily for westbound trains;
Track 1 - The "express" center track;
Track 2 - primarily for eastbound trains
The change of boarding location at Mineola to Track 3-Platform A for all Oyster Bay Branch trains is
mentioned - eastbound trains are most likely routed on Track 1 to cross over to Track 3 west of Mineola...
Will the third rail to East Williston be retained with the OB Branch Mineola track changes? Good question...
Remember that only one AM Peak weekday train was scheduled to originate at East Williston - Train #1501
before LIRR service reductions back in 2020 took effect - and has not returned to the current schedule...
This recent MTA timeline mentions that the third track is to be completed and in full service over the 10.1
mile route by the end of October...We will see how this optomistic MTA projection actually pans out in the
next 10 weeks...MACTRAXX

Thanks MACTRAXX. Who's on first; What's on second. LOL

I don’t know.
Third base.


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MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Sat Aug 13, 2022 8:31 pm

MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 1:33 pm Everyone - The MTA has posted information about Main Line changes for installation of the new Third Track:
https://new.mta.info/mainline
https://new.mta.info/article/hicksville ... hange-2022
There will be upcoming weekend outages between Floral Park and Hicksville August 27-28;
September 10-11 and 17-18 with alternate service as outlined in the July 30 3TC monthly update...
Major changes are ahead for the Third Track Project as noted for August and September...MACTRAXX

H-E View - In these two articles posted by the MTA there is a brief overview about how the three tracks
on the Main Line are going to be numbered between Floral Park and Hicksville...
Without getting into a confusing "Who's On First?" routine over the designated track numbers they are:
(including platforms - north side is Platform A; south side is Platform B)
From North to South:
Track 3 - primarily for westbound trains;
Track 1 - The "express" center track;
Track 2 - primarily for eastbound trains
The change of boarding location at Mineola to Track 3-Platform A for all Oyster Bay Branch trains is
mentioned - eastbound trains are most likely routed on Track 1 to cross over to Track 3 west of Mineola...
Will the third rail to East Williston be retained with the OB Branch Mineola track changes? Good question...
Remember that only one AM Peak weekday train was scheduled to originate at East Williston - Train #1501
before LIRR service reductions back in 2020 took effect - and has not returned to the current schedule...
This recent MTA timeline mentions that the third track is to be completed and in full service over the 10.1
mile route by the end of October...We will see how this optomistic MTA projection actually pans out in the
next 10 weeks...MACTRAXX

Reason I asked about East Williston is because obviously the Oyster Bay Branch is electrified through EW to a point just past the adjacent grade crossing, and before the PJ/Huntington Branch was electrified over 50 years ago from Mineola, all electric service used the OB Branch tracks as linear sidings. If they are not going to put the third rail back on the 30 MPH curve, then they might as well just tear up the third rail from East Williston to a point near the 2nd Avenue grade crossing.

The new track has been electrified fully from Floral Park through NASSAU-1 to a point just East of Herricks Road, with the temporary platforms that serviced MLT1 at New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue completely razed. Even the RASs for all 3 tracks are being tested and are actually functioning! Siding between Merillon Avenue and NASSAU-1 still isn't electrified though.

The draft Grand Central Madison schedule for the OB Branch has a single electric MU train inbound from East Williston, in about the same place as the old #1501. It's now #511, departing EW at 7:46am, and making Mineola, Merillon Avenue, New Hyde Park, Elmont-UBS, Queens Village, Hollis, Jamaica, and Grand Central Madison.

So if this draft holds, when the GCM opens, we will have the once-daily EMU inbound from EW has was the case for decades until the reduced COVID schedule.

Feels weird that they'll actually be starting service on it tomorrow. If I wasn't sick, I'd love to railfan along the route to catch how things go.

Diverging Route wrote: ↑Sun Aug 14, 2022 1:40 pm The draft Grand Central Madison schedule for the OB Branch has a single electric MU train inbound from East Williston, in about the same place as the old #1501. It's now #511, departing EW at 7:46am, and making Mineola, Merillon Avenue, New Hyde Park, Elmont-UBS, Queens Village, Hollis, Jamaica, and Grand Central Madison.

So if this draft holds, when the GCM opens, we will have the once-daily EMU inbound from EW has was the case for decades until the reduced COVID schedule.

DR - 1-The LIRR has always been an EASTBOUND and WESTBOUND railroad.
When I downloaded the set of GCT-M draft schedules I was dismayed that these two terms were not used in them.
As I noticed they are in a MNCR-type format - in the color destination blocks (which are a good addition to Branch
timetables) for the OB schedules add "WEST to New York" and "EAST to Oyster Bay" for further clarification...

2-Good to know that #1501/#511 is being brought back running westbound to GCT-M.
A thought would be to have the AM eastbound equipment move run as a limited stop revenue train -
Floral Park, Mineola and East Williston only - and schedule a single PM Peak counterpart with the
same local stops from GCT-M east and than just the same three stations on the turn westbound.

The upcoming major schedule changes later this year are going to be one of the most significant in the
188 year history of the LIRR (Founded in 1834) and will be a work in progress...MACTRAXX

Checked my MTA LIRR TrainTime app on my phone, and it is official that all 3 tracks are indeed in service from Floral Park to NASSAU-1. Service for New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue is on MLT3 and MLT2. All service for Mineola, Carle Place, and Westbury is on MLT3 and MLT1. Along with this, the new MLT1 in that section is getting a ton of use. Both trains to Huntington and Ronkonkoma are stopping along the Main Line before Hicksville.

Where is Nassua 1 in relation to old Nassau Tower, which had been MP 18.6?
About when had Nassau been taken out of service as a manned tower?
Is Divide still a manned tower?
Thanks
Andy

What is the MP location and name of interlocking where the third tk begins near Floral Pk?
Andy