MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

[pineywoodsman]

I wonder if they will add any trains once the CI-KO leg is done, or they will wait until the entire project is done for service improvements.
Also I've never seen the Pinelawn waiting room open. I wonder once the 2nd track is in if Pinelawn will have a longer platform. Of course without a third Mainline track west of Hicksville, the full potential of this project (and ESA) won't be maximized.

[MattAmity90]

Actually when they electrified the Ronkonkoma Branch they added a second track from JS Interlocking West of Deer Park to just East of Brentwood, a second track from West of Central Islip to East of the Lowell Avenue crossing, and of course at Ronkonkoma station both West and East into the storage yard.

-Pinelawn will more than likely just be extended to no longer than 6 cars long.
-Wyandanch will be interesting since they will also construct a second platform, and reconfigure the Straight Path and 18th St. crossings.

[4behind2]

The original plan was to double track KO to PW in the early 1980's. No electrification.

Electrification was a victim of its own success, as many PT. Jeff and Speonk riders drove to KO for the new service. What were once packed twelve car trains (train 664 comes to mind) became uncrowded very quickly.

It will be interesting to see the filling in of the gullies between CI and KO. I would assume there are either permits or exemptions from the State EPA.

And not to worry about those pesky consignee sidings. The carrier will quote an exorbitant price for a switch and track to the property line, and the industries will refuse. That is what happened to Waldbaums distribution center and they were the LIRR's largest consignee at the time. The center moved off-island.

[ADL6009]

Pinelawn station will be permanently closed when the double track project is completed. With two tracks there is no room for a platform with the road so close to the right of way.

[MattAmity90]

Pinelawn station will be permanently closed when the double track project is completed. With two tracks there is no room for a platform with the road so close to the right of way.

Wow, a piece of history gone! Everyone get there and take photos!

[pineywoodsman]

Pinelawn station will be permanently closed when the double track project is completed. With two tracks there is no room for a platform with the road so close to the right of way.

Not according to this. It says two new "two car" platforms will be constructed. The road would just have to be realigned in that spot.
http://www.trforum.org/chapters/newyork ... 4_LIRR.pdf
Personally I would just re-open Republic & close Pinelawn. The Republic site by Rt.110 is closer to bus routes and places, and Pinelawn would only be a 10 min walk away if needed. I have seen people use Pinelawn but not to visit the cemetery, often they are getting picked up or walking to other areas.

[MACTRAXX]

R36, 4bh2 and Everyone:

There were two choices to improve the Ronkonkoma Branch during the second half of the 1980s with the
available funds:

1-Double track the entire route and retain Diesel train service as mentioned.
2-The Hicksville-Ronkonkoma Electrification as built and completed in January 1988.

Electrification was definitely a victim of its own success remembering how fast Ronkonkoma Branch ridership
responded and grew and it turned Ronkonkoma (and to a lesser extent Central Islip) into "magnet" stations
attracting riders from all around central and eastern Suffolk County and was a factor causing Port Jefferson
Branch ridership to drop off somewhat on its eastern end...

The 4 mile track segment from Ronkonkoma to Central Islip (MP 48-44) is no doubt the toughest track segment
to build because of the retaining walls and new embankment fill that will be needed - the remaining track to be
built will be much easier to construct and the only part which will require embankments or walls will be between
the Deer Park Avenue overpass (old DK Station - NYS 231) downslope towards Wyandanch...

I agree that it makes more sense to rebuild Republic over Pinelawn because it has more ridership potential
with its NYS 110 location but if the LIRR chooses to retain Pinelawn it should be relatively easy to build a
second platform - and the station building is not anything historic - I believe it was built to serve there in
the early 1980s by the adjacent cemetery and there is literally nothing inside that stucture...

Walking to Pinelawn from Republic is going to take more then ten minutes as PWM may think because of the
indirect route that would have to be used - Conklin Street to Wellwood Avenue - and I will add that this is not
at all pedestrian friendly - as is walking alongside Wellwood Avenue to access for example Long Island National
Cemetery to the north of Pinelawn Station...

It is good to see the Ronkonkoma Branch Double Track Project moving forward and I also do agree that future
maximum benefit will only occur if the Floral Park-Hicksville Third Track Project does get finally built...

MACTRAXX

[NIMBYkiller]

I commuted to Pinelawn for the better half a year back in high school when I worked at Republic. The waiting room was almost always open back then (2005/2006) from what I remember, and I seem to remember at least some photos being displayed. It's a nice little station that would be a shame to lose, but oh well. And the walk is FAR more than 10 mins. It would take me at least 20 and that was walking along Conklin which was no picnic in the winter...and that was just to the New Highway side of the airport where I worked.

[Riverduckexpress]

To the posters saying they would rather reopen Republic than expand Pinelawn: It already is planned to be reopened: http://web.mta.info/capital/pdf/Board_2 ... df#page=80

[MattAmity90]

Looking at the PDF file, I love what I am seeing! Love these new projects since I built small models of them when I was little.

Having Autism and being obsessed with the railroad I love, and all the structures, I'm clenching my inner excitement!

My first post since I joined that will have an emoji in it.

[Amtrak7]

The cover of the new Ronkonkoma Branch timetable warns of various weekends of work affecting the line in October/November. One is Ellison Ave replacement, I wonder if the others are related to this project...

[MattAmity90]

I found what they are doing in October to Novemeber.

[tj48]

Don't know if this has anything to do with the Double Track Project but there is a welded rail train on the siding by the old Deer Park station.

[Amtrak7]

I found what they are doing in October to Novemeber.

Thanks....not to mention next weekend's Ellison Avenue outage

[MattAmity90]

I found what they are doing in October to Novemeber.

Thanks....not to mention next weekend's Ellison Avenue outage

The bridge is going up that weekend? I forgot all about that.

This was posted about 18 hours ago from the Double Track Project's Facebook page:

Community update: Oct. 17th, 12am till Oct. 18 4pm, Ocean Ave Crossing will be closed due to rail drop along right of way/work on existing Ocean Ave..no train service/busing...All vehicle traffic will be diverted to a Pond Road

Also announced by MTA LIRR:

Ronkonkoma Branch Customers
Planned Work

Buses replace Trains between Ronkonkoma & Central Islip, Sun. Oct. 18

To accommodate trackwork, buses will replace trains between Ronkonkoma and Central Islip from 12:39 AM Sunday, October 18 until 12:32 AM Monday, October 19.

Ronkonkoma Branch

Westbound:

Customers will board a bus at Ronkonkoma to Central Islip then connect with trains for service to points west. Buses will depart 23 minutes earlier than normal train time.