MTA Completes Some LIRR Track Laying
One of the big LIRR projects that will help a multitude of riders is the addition of an extra track on the Ronkonkoma line between Farmingdale & Ronkonkoma. When the project is completed fully, the agency will be able to provide every half hour service on the line compared to the hourly service provided now.
The agency has been using a New Track Construction (NTC) machine that has helped them complete the track laying between Central Islip & Ronkonkoma as part of phase 1. Here is more via Kyra Senese of Railway & Track Structures:
The MTA cites its use of a New Track Construction (NTC) Machine as a key factor in the timeliness of the project.
The machine lays track more than 10 times faster than the MTA has ever previously been able to do manually, which officials say will save $2.4 million in construction costs. At the faster speed, MTA officials say the machine is capable of laying one mile of track per day.
MTA officials say work has begun on the final phase of the project between Farmingdale and Central Islip and is expected to wrap up in 2018.
Extending from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma, the double track is expected to significantly shorten delays along the LIRR. With $387.2 million in state funding, the project is set to be complete in the second phase through design-build contracting.
The track is also set to allow for more off-peak service in both directions by adding 13 miles of parallel track. The project is expected to boost frequency of rides available to one train every 30 minutes in both directions, a possible improvement from the previous standard of one train every hour. Lowered delays due to service disruptions are also predicted with the added track.
Gov. Cuomo toured the double track site with MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast, as the NTC machine was laying the final portion of the 3.5-mile Phase 1 track.
Click here for the complete story.
This will be a huge addition to the Ronkonkoma line which has long been under serviced even though it features the highest ridership in the system. Too bad it can’t get the same amount of the service the Babylon/Montauk lines do which feature over 80 trains to NYC a day during the weekdays.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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