0

Metro-North To Begin Substation Upgrade

Posted by
on April 17th, 2014 at 5:40 pm

Starting this weekend, the Metro-North Railroad will begin a substation upgrade in Mount Vernon. Here is more:

MTA Metro-North Railroad, beginning this weekend, will upgrade the power supply for the New Haven Line at its Mount Vernon East substation to provide additional redundancy and increase capacity.

The railroad is replacing four, 35-year-old transformers with two new ones that will ensure reliability to handle additional power loads and allow electricity generated by the brakes of the railroad’s new fleet of M-8 rail cars to be fed back into the power grid.

In order to accommodate this installation and minimize the risk of service disruption, Metro-North, Con Edison and the New York Power Authority (“NYPA”) developed a contingency plan to assure continued power service to the Mount Vernon substation and submitted it to the New York State Department of Public Service (“DPS”) for an independent, third party review and approval.

The plan draws upon work already completed in the overall improvement of the power supply to the New Haven Line. One new transformer was installed at Mount Vernon last fall and is adequate to serve the power needs of the line. The second new transformer is being installed this weekend and connecting it will take about a month.

Last month, a similar upgrade was completed, doubling of capacity at the Cos Cob West substation. It is now possible to deliver power to the New York segment of the New Haven Line through an upgraded tie system at the Harrison and Rye switching substations. These upgrades will serve as a third supply source in the unlikely event that power is lost at the Mount Vernon Substation during installation of the east transformer.

“The contingency plan is sound and is backed by this new Harrison tie system,” said Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti. “Replacing this old substation is an important step in improving power supply to the New Haven Line overall.”

While these improvements reduce the possibility of a full power outage, if that did occur, it will take up to two hours to activate the tie. However, once the tie is activated, Metro-North will be able to operate regular train service through the area with some delays possible. Customers will be kept informed should that occur.

Metro-North hired the New York Power Authority to design and replace the existing substation, including a new breaker house at Pelham, new 27 kilovolt feeders, new switchgear at New Rochelle, and a new power supply station for the signal system at the same location.

The Con Edison power supply into the substation is 138 kilovolts, which the transformers step down to 27 kilovolts in order to feed the overhead catenary wires that supply electricity to the trains.

The substation sits in a large yard surrounded by a chain link fence that will be replaced with a more secure wall as part of the $51 million project.

When completed, the project will enable Metro-North to use the regenerative braking technology on its newest rail cars, the M-8s, to feed power back into the catenary system each time the cars go into braking mode. This excess electricity reduces Metro-North’s overall power demand. To take advantage of this potential power savings, the existing controls and metering at the Mount Vernon East substation also will be reconfigured.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Metro-North
0

Buses Replace Midday Port Jeff Trains

Posted by
on April 17th, 2014 at 5:27 pm

Next Tuesday & Wednesday, Port Jefferson line riders will have buses replace some midday trains due to rail inspections. Here are the complete details:

The Long Island Rail Road will perform mid-day track inspections between Huntington and Port Jefferson on Tuesday, April 22, and Wednesday, April 23. Crews will use an advanced Sperry rail car that can detect metal fatigue and faults beneath the surface of the steel rails. Defects that are found will be corrected immediately by a crew of LIRR track maintenance workers. The Sperry Rail Car is used twice a year to inspect approximately 500 miles of LIRR track.

As crews perform the inspections and any repairs, buses will substitute for eight mid-day trains on Tuesday, April 22, and six mid-day trains on Wednesday, April 23. About 740 passengers will be affected each day. Details on the alternate service follow.

Eastbound:

Customers traveling to Greenlawn, Northport, Kings Park, Smithtown, St. James, Stony Brook and Port Jefferson should board their normal trains and will transfer to buses at Huntington. Customers will arrive at their destinations up to 26 minutes later than normal.

On Tuesday, April 22, buses will substitute for four eastbound trains that normally depart Huntington at 10:24 a.m., 11:52 a.m., 1:24 p.m. and 2:52 p.m. On Wednesday, April 23, buses will substitute for three eastbound trains that normally depart Huntington at 10:24 a.m., 11:52 a.m. and 1:24 p.m.

Westbound:

Customers traveling from Port Jefferson, Stony Brook, St. James, Smithtown, Kings Park, Northport and Greenlawn will board buses that will travel to Hicksville for connecting westbound trains. Local bus service will also be provided between Port Jefferson and Syosset.

Customers will board buses up to 17 minutes later than their normal train departure time, and should anticipate up to an additional 35 minutes travel time (depending on destination). A special timetable offering bus departure times and train connections will be available at mta.info/lirr.

On Tuesday, April 22, buses will substitute for four westbound trains that normally depart Port Jefferson at 10:10 a.m., 11:36 a.m., 1:10 p.m. and 2:37 p.m. On Wednesday, April 23, buses will substitute for three westbound trains that normally depart Port Jefferson at 10:10 a.m., 11:36 a.m. and 1:10 p.m.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
LIRR, Service Alerts
0

MTA Announces Public Hearing

Posted by
on April 14th, 2014 at 3:05 pm

The MTA has announced a public hearing on new & enhanced bus service proposals. Here is the info:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has scheduled a public hearing in midtown Manhattan where attendees are invited to comment on the implementation of two new bus routes and service improvements to three existing routes. The hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 14, at MTA Headquarters, 347 Madison Ave., in the 5th floor board room.

The proposed new services are the M12, a new local bus route operating between Columbus Circle and the West Village in Manhattan. The M12 would run between the southern terminal at 8th Avenue and Jane Street and the northern terminal would be at West 58th Street and 7th Avenue. The M12 would operate seven days a week, running every 30 minutes between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm. This service is planned to begin operating in September 2014.

The second new route, designated the X21, will be a new express bus operating between Eltingville in Staten Island and Midtown Manhattan. The route’s southern terminal would be at Richmond Avenue and Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island and operate to 42nd Street and First Avenue. The X21 would operate with five trips from Staten Island to Manhattan during the morning peak period and five trips from Manhattan to Staten Island during the evening peak period. This service is planned to begin operating on September 2, 2014.

Additionally, service on three routes, including restoration of weekend service on the M8 and Q31 and the start of Sunday service on the Q77 began April 6 on an experimental basis.

The additions to M8 service provide a direct link between the East Village and West Village with buses operating between 7 a.m. and 1 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. In Queens, the Q31 now operates on Saturdays between 8:20 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 9:10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Bus customers who use the Q77 now benefit from full weekend service with the start-up of Sunday service in addition to existing Saturday service. Sunday service will run between 6:55 a.m. to 10:09 p.m.

Hopefully the hearing will have a good turnout even though I am not expecting that to be the case. Sadly when it comes to transit issues in our region, riders are quick to complain but will do nothing to facilitate changes for the better.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
NYC Transit
0

Extra LIRR Service For Passover & Good Friday

Posted by
on April 14th, 2014 at 3:01 pm

The MTA Long Island Rail Road has announced they will be providing extra service for Passover & Good Friday. Here are the details:

The Long Island Rail Road will provide additional eastbound service on Monday, April 14, and Friday, April 18 for customers leaving work early in observance of Passover and Good Friday. The railroad will operate a regular weekday schedule with eight additional trains departing Penn Station between 2:08 p.m. and 3:48 p.m. There will be three additional trains on the Babylon Branch, three on the Port Jefferson Branch, one on the Port Washington Branch, and one on the Far Rockaway Branch.

The extra afternoon departures from Penn Station are as follows:

Babylon Branch:

2:32 p.m. express to Lynbrook, then all stops to Babylon

3:00 p.m. stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon

3:31 p.m. express to Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon

Port Jefferson Branch:

2:08 p.m. stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, then all stops to Huntington

2:29 p.m. stopping at Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then all stops to Huntington

3:24 p.m. stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville

Additionally, the 2:52 p.m. train from Huntington to Port Jefferson will originate from Jamaica at 1:46 p.m. on April 14 and 18 only.
The 2:29 p.m. train from Penn Station, due Hicksville at 3:17 p.m. will not operate on April 14 and 18.

Port Washington Branch (to Great Neck):

3:40 p.m. stopping at Woodside, Flushing Main St., then all stops to Great Neck

Far Rockaway Branch:

3:48 p.m. express to Locust Manor, then all stops to Far Rockaway

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
LIRR
0

LIRR Long Beach Restoration Project

Posted by
on April 14th, 2014 at 2:25 pm

Over the weekend, the MTA Long Island Rail Road announced a $120M restoration project to the Long Beach line to help fortify it from the type of damage it received from Hurricane Sandy. Here is more:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Long Island Rail Road today announced the start of a $120 million construction program designed to protect the LIRR’s Long Beach Branch from the kind of devastating damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. To better fortify the branch, construction is starting on a four-year project to build three new power stations, replace switch machines, signals and communications systems as well as third rail equipment and, lastly, harden the electrical system that powers the Wreck Lead Bridge, which spans Reynolds Channel and connects Island Park to the City of Long Beach.

Clearing Vegetation on LIRR Property:

By necessity, the project will include an extensive clearing of trees and bushes on LIRR property to make way for a new pole line that will anchor new signal, communications and electrical systems and allow their placement well above the flood plain. The vegetation cutting, which is scheduled to begin Monday, April 14, will be done by private contractors under the supervision of a New York State licensed arborist and LIRR personnel. The extent of the cutting in each area will follow a very precise plan based on requirements set out by project engineers with the goal of minimizing the impact on nearby communities.

MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast said: “The LIRR is an economic lifeline for tens of thousands of residents on the South Shore of Nassau County who commute to and from work each day via the Long Beach Branch. It is no less important to the City of Long Beach, a destination for thousands more heading to the community’s beautiful public beachfront and its popular restaurants and nightlife. There is no better insurance for the economic vitality of this region than ensuring the safe and reliable future operation of the LIRR’s Long Beach Branch.”
The MTA has added nine Long Island Rail Road Sandy restoration projects to its 2010-2014 Capital Programs, a total commitment of $265 million and the plans for Long Beach represent a major part of that effort.

LIRR President Helena E. Williams said: “We want to make sure that customers along the Long Beach Branch are fully aware of our work plan in the weeks and months ahead as we dedicate ourselves to making sure that we are fully prepared and protected when the next big storm reaches our shore. In the meantime, we will do our best to keep residents informed as work proceeds along the LIRR right-of-way in their neighborhoods. And we promise our customers that we will work hard to minimize any inconvenience caused by the project and keep them fully informed about any service related impact.”

The Devastation of Superstorm Sandy:

When Sandy struck Long Island on October 29, 2012, the Long Beach branch was the most seriously affected of the Railroad’s 11 branches. Third rail power was lost with three of the four substations off-line and awash in sea water. The tracks between Island Park and Long Beach stations were covered with debris and all systems – switch, signal and communications – were knocked out by the salt water. Partial service was restored on November 14 with diesel trains operating between Lynbrook and Long Beach. Full electric service was restored 11 days later.

Even as emergency repairs were underway to bring train service back to Long Beach Branch after the storm, the LIRR was developing specific Sandy restoration projects, including the replacement of its Oceanside, Oil City and Long Beach electrical substations as well as switching, signal and communications systems along the entire five and one half miles route over which some 20,000 customers travel on an average weekday. In addition, the Railroad developed a plan to strengthen the resiliency of the Wreck Lead Bridge, which spans Reynolds Channel and connects LIRR service from Island Park to Long Beach.

The design work and construction will be carried out over the next four years and at times require brief service outages when bus service will be substituted for trains. Those interruptions will be scheduled during off peak hours and on weekends so as not to impact peak hour commuting and to minimize the inconvenience to LIRR customers.

The Long Beach Branch Restoration Plan:

The major restoration projects being carried out on the Long Beach branch are as follows

Long Beach Branch Substation Replacement (Cost $56.5 Million)

Three substations, Oceanside, Oil City and Long Beach, are being demolished and replaced by state of art pre-fabricated substations constructed on platforms that will take them out of harm’s way in what is now considered a flood-prone area. Work has just recently gotten underway on the Oceanside substation. The Oil City project is set to begin in January and Long Beach in September 2015.

Long Beach Branch Systems Restoration (Cost $56.4 Million)

This project calls for the replacement of switch machines, signals, communications and third rail equipment and is currently in design stage. Again critical components like the new signal and communication huts will be placed on platforms to make them more resilient in future extreme weather events.

Wreck Lead Bridge Systems Restoration (Cost $7 Million)

At the Wreck Lead Bridge, which connects Island Park and Long Beach, the LIRR will replace underwater cable, the bridge electrical system and the bridge’s emergency generator.

Vegetation Management Phase to Take Four Weeks

The LIRR says the vegetation management aspect of the project will take approximately four weeks to complete, weather permitting. The cutting will take place along the south side of the LIRR right of way starting around Horton Avenue in Lynbrook and move east. At Broadway near the Centre Avenue Station, the cutting will be done on both sides of the tracks through Centre Avenue near the East Rockaway Station. Cutting will then continue on the south side of the right of way through Oceanside and Island Park until the Wreck Lead Bridge. It is important that trees and bushes are cut back before the growing season gets started in earnest. Obstructions such as tree limbs and bushes are not only a safety hazard, but contribute to slip-slide conditions on rails when leaves fall and decompose leaving a residue on rails. Careful management of the cutting is designed to minimize the impact on neighboring communities.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Construction, LIRR