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  • The East Side Access Project Discussion (ESA)

  • 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

 #1544499  by Riverduckexpress
 
cle wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 3:05 pm Is there a proposed timetable yet, or service pattern (trains per hour to each terminus?) - assuming relatively clock-face off-peak, but how about the peaks?

And the corresponding increases or changes to the existing services, due to these GCT ones?
The MTA posted a proposed AM Peak schedule for Great Neck on its old website on a page about the Colonial Bridge replacement and new pocket track on the Port Washington Branch. The website has so many nuggets of information hidden deep on random pages. Not sure if there's anything like this for other stations/branches. Could be moot anyway in a post-COVID world.

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 #1544500  by photobug56
 
I'm guessing that this was never supposed to be posted where the public could see it. I do think, though, that LIRR should post a general, preliminary plan that shows what they are proposing to do for riders on each line in terms of access to GCT AND Brooklyn and Penn. Information needed include direct trains, and for non-direct, the type of transfer they are proposing. For instance, have some passengers transfer cross platform at Hicksville to lessen the need for the up and over transfers. And certain lines like PJ should have some increase in direct Penn Station access.

It's also an appropriate time to do a very high data content survey of passengers origination and destination needs including preferred times - and considering all of this, completely redo LIRR schedules from scratch. Kind of like zero based budgeting.
 #1544521  by Riverduckexpress
 
photobug56 wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2020 1:49 pm I'm guessing that this was never supposed to be posted where the public could see it. I do think, though, that LIRR should post a general, preliminary plan that shows what they are proposing to do for riders on each line in terms of access to GCT AND Brooklyn and Penn. Information needed include direct trains, and for non-direct, the type of transfer they are proposing. For instance, have some passengers transfer cross platform at Hicksville to lessen the need for the up and over transfers. And certain lines like PJ should have some increase in direct Penn Station access.

It's also an appropriate time to do a very high data content survey of passengers origination and destination needs including preferred times - and considering all of this, completely redo LIRR schedules from scratch. Kind of like zero based budgeting.
As that draft schedule is on a public information page for a construction project loosely related to East Side Access (and has been for some 4.5 years, looking at the Web Archive), it's hard to imagine that wasn't meant for the public to see. That that we have tidbits like this but not detailed information in an easy-to-find location certainly points to MTA disorganization/dysfunction. Though it won't matter as much if the whole schedules are thrown out the window due to COVID. The LIRR did organize a Network Strategy Study on the system back in 2015 (following up on their initial study in the 1990s) though I don't think they've released it or reported much on it aside from an aside during an MTA Board meeting or two. I remember the ESA environmental review documents containing a little more info on possible service arrangements, though not in great detail, and not in an easy-to-search format with the docs being scanned PDFs.
 #1544523  by Head-end View
 
cle: What are you talking about in the first sentence of your last post on the preceding page?

I doubt there will be any track dedicated specifically to GCT service. At present there are no tracks dedicated to any specific service or line and I don't think that's going to change. The railroad needs to be able to continue to switch virtually any track to/from any route as needed by various train movement situations that arise. That's why there is the complex network of switches on both ends of Jamaica Station.
 #1544530  by photobug56
 
Covid has made a mess of things but LIRR, for planning purposes, will assume that things will eventually get back to 'normal'. However, smart companies will review how remote work is in real life, how expensive Manhattan is, yet understand that requiring employees to either commute huge distances or resign doesn't work. Instead of constantly expanding space in Manhattan or creating places too far from Manhattan for many people to reach, it's better to have mostly remote work for certain jobs, 'hotel' desks shared my many centrally, and train people and managers to effectively work and manage remotely. Some firms will understand that this can be a win-win for both the firms and employees, and for the environment. So long term there will likely be fewer long distance commuters - unless, of course, MTA & NJT finally understand that they need good, effective interconnects between regions. But it's pretty clear that none of the regional transport agencies get this. But making rail lines work better will still be needed. Outer lying areas like the PJ line and east of Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay, etc., still need double tracking and electrification. But if they ever get it right, it's unlikely to be in my lifetime. They are just too incompetent and corrupt.

At Jamaica, it will be extremely difficult to ensure that easy transfers are possible. And given that too many planners still think that diesel country doesn't deserve decent service, it's highly unlikely that they will ever get it, including reasonably decent connections at Jamaica. Even that the LIRR president lives on the PJ line (Smithtown?) doesn't seem to make any difference.
 #1544555  by cle
 
Head-end View wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2020 7:34 pm cle: What are you talking about in the first sentence of your last post on the preceding page?

I doubt there will be any track dedicated specifically to GCT service. At present there are no tracks dedicated to any specific service or line and I don't think that's going to change. The railroad needs to be able to continue to switch virtually any track to/from any route as needed by various train movement situations that arise. That's why there is the complex network of switches on both ends of Jamaica Station.
The business case comment? What wasn't clear about it? Surely they have modelled the changes in frequency when the case was built for this project - so what are they, and how are they spread across the network?

And when I said dedicated, I meant 'socially' in passengers' eyes - not operationally. Of course no flexibility would be removed for when needed, but if in normal operation, inbound trains can use the same platform for a terminus where possible (GCT taking the Brooklyn spot) - that would be a better customer experience.
 #1555397  by hotbike
 
Where’d everyone go who was following this thread?
Did the new server ... umm, have too many problems? It’s become impossible to post a picture, since even the lowest setting; original, large, medium & small, small is too big “must be under 200 pixels wide”? What’s that about?
 #1572312  by R36 Combine Coach
 
Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Major Construction of East Side Access

Opening Day on the Horizon for the Largest Expansion of the Long Island Rail Road in 100 Years

New MTA Construction & Development Transformed Project Approach in 2018 to Ensure Timely Completion in 2022

Third Rail to be Electrified and Non-Passenger Test Trains to Begin Operating This Summer

Project Focus Shifts to Testing and Commissioning of Project Systems Such as Power
Communications, HVAC, Security, and More

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the completion of civil construction on East Side
Access
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