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Helena Williams resignation or Firing
Signal Upgrades
Track Replacement
Switch Upgrades
Electrification of Central Branch
Electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch
Electrification of the Montauk Branch
Third Tracking of the Main line
East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal
Double Tracking of parts of the Ronkonkoma line
M9 Rail car
Equal Outbound / Inbound Services
Large Scale Railway Projects
Project : Restoration of the Full Hempstead line Number of lines : 1
Stations : 4
Projected Ridership : 30,000
Project : Restoration of the Wading River Branch Number of lines : 1
Stations : 3
Projected Ridership : 12,000
Project : Restoration of the Sunset Park line Number of lines : 1
Stations : 11
Projected Ridership : 38,000
Project : LIRR Core line Number of lines : 1
Stations : 17
Projected Ridership : 110,000
Project : LIRR East Side Access Number of lines : 11
Stations : 1
Projected Ridership : 120,000
Current system...
LIRR
Location : Long Island and Manhattan , Queens and Brooklyn
Daily Ridership : 341,000 (Projected 2030 Daily Ridership : 570,000+)
System size : 700+ mi
Stations : 124
My comment in general on her plans: ...everytime she undertakes anything..all we get are delays and cancellations. NO positive results EVER. When the trains were shut down for weeks last year to "upgrade" the old switches, guess what...here we are the following year...trains are cancelled and delayed for "switch problems." I (and the majority of the ridership) want Quiet Cars (like the rest of the nation has on the rest of the rail lines. But I don't see that listed in her "to do" list. Amtrak has done this for years with great success, and all of our immediate neighbors have recently started it and expanded it because of its (obvious) overwhelming success. So, while our trains will be cancelled and delayed (as they will because of the LIRR's continued incompetancies), at least we could sit in some Quiet Cars and not have to be forced to listen to every rude loudmouth reporting his or her dinner plans, stomach issues, golf prowess, busines acumen, blah, blah, blah....in their megaphone voices.
My comment in general on her plans: ...everytime she undertakes anything..all we get are delays and cancellations. NO positive results EVER. When the trains were shut down for weeks last year to "upgrade" the old switches, guess what...here we are the following year...trains are cancelled and delayed for "switch problems." I (and the majority of the ridership) want Quiet Cars (like the rest of the nation has on the rest of the rail lines. But I don't see that listed in her "to do" list. Amtrak has done this for years with great success, and all of our immediate neighbors have recently started it and expanded it because of its (obvious) overwhelming success. So, while our trains will be cancelled and delayed (as they will because of the LIRR's continued incompetancies), at least we could sit in some Quiet Cars and not have to be forced to listen to every rude loudmouth reporting his or her dinner plans, stomach issues, golf prowess, busines acumen, blah, blah, blah....in their megaphone voices.
Off peak this is a problem.
This behavior is generally self policing on peak trains. Commuter justice generally kicks in and will correct the offender.
Main Line New York Penn Station (Grand Central Terminal starting in 2017) Sunnyside JCT
Woodside
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Jamaica
Hollis Francis Lewis Boulevard
Queens Village
Floral Park
New Hyde Park
Merillon Avenue
Mineola
Carle Place
Westbury
Hicksville
Bethpage
Farmingdale
Pinelawn
Wyandanch
Deer Park
Brentwood
Central Islip
Ronkonkoma
Medford
Yaphank
Riverhead
Mattituck
Southold
Greenport
Atlantic Branch Atlantic Terminal
Nostrand Avenue
East New York Woodhaven Junction
Jamaica 110 Ave
Foch Boulevard
Locust Manor
Laurelton
Rosedale
Valley Stream
Long Beach Branch New York Penn Station Sunnyside JCT
Jamaica
Lynbrook
Centre Avenue
East Rockaway
Oceanside
Island Park
Long Beach
Babylon Branch
New York Penn Station (Grand Central Terminal starting in 2017) Sunnyside JCT
Woodside
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Jamaica
Saint Albans Farmers Boulevard
Valley Stream
Lynbrook
Rockville Centre
Baldwin
Freeport
Merrick
Bellmore
Wantagh
Seaford
Massapequa
Massapequa Park
Amityville
Copiague
Lindenhurst
Babylon
Montauk Branch Long Island City Penny Bridge Haberman
Fresh Pond
Glendale
Richmond Hill
Jamaica
Saint Albans Farmers Boulevard
Valley Stream
Lynbrook
Rockville Centre
Baldwin
Freeport
Merrick
Bellmore
Wantagh
Seaford
Massapequa
Massapequa Park
Amityville
Copiague
Lindenhurst
Babylon
Bay Shore
Islip
Great River
Oakdale
Sayville
Patchogue
Bellport
Mastic – Shirley
Speonk
Westhampton
Hampton Bays
Southampton
Bridgehampton
East Hampton
Amagansett
Montauk
West Hempstead Branch New York Penn Station Sunnyside JCT
Woodside
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Jamaica
Saint Albans Farmers Boulevard
Valley Stream
Westwood
Malverne
Lakeview
Hempstead Gardens
West Hempstead
Far Rockaway Branch Atlantic Terminal
Nostrand Avenue
East New York Woodhaven Junction
Jamaica 110 Ave
Foch Boulevard
Locust Manor
Laurelton
Rosedale
Valley Stream
Gibson
Hewlett
Woodmere
Cedarhurst
Lawrence
Inwood
Far Rockaway
Oyster Bay Branch Penn Station
Jamaica
Mineola
East Williston
Albertson
Roslyn
Greenvale
Glen Head
Sea Cliff
Glen Street
Glen Cove
Locust Valley
Oyster Bay
Port Jefferson Branch New York Penn Station (Grand Central Terminal starting in 2017) Sunnyside JCT
Woodside
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Jamaica
Hollis Francis Lewis Boulevard
Queens Village
Floral Park
New Hyde Park
Merillon Avenue
Mineola
Carle Place
Westbury
Hicksville
Syosset
Cold Spring Harbor
Huntington
Greenlawn
Northport
Kings Park
Smithtown
St. James
Stony Brook
Port Jefferson Mount Sinai
Miller Place
Rocky Point
Shoreham
Wading River
Hempstead Branch New York Penn Station Sunnyside JCT
Woodside
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Jamaica
Hollis Francis Lewis Boulevard
Queens Village
Floral Park
Stewart Manor
Nassau Boulevard
Garden City
Country Life Press
Hempstead
Port Washington Branch
New York Penn Station (Grand Central Terminal starting in 2017) Sunnyside JCT
Woodside Elmhurst
Corona
Mets–Willets Point
Flushing Main Street
Murray Hill
Broadway
Auburndale
Bayside
Douglaston
Little Neck
Great Neck
Manhasset
Plandome
Port Washington
JFK Airtrain - Trunk line Jamaica Liberty Ave
Linden Boulevard
Rockaway Boulevard
Federal Circle
Terminal 1
Terminal 2 & 3
Terminal 4
Terminal 5
Terminal 7
Terminal 8
JFK Airtrain - Howard Beach Branch Howard Beach
Lefferts Boulevard
Federal Circle
Terminal 1
Terminal 2 & 3
Terminal 4
Terminal 5
Terminal 7
Terminal 8
Proposed or Planned Lines
JFK Airtrain - Howard Beach - Jamaica line Howard Beach
Lefferts Boulevard Rockaway Boulevard
Linden Boulevard
Liberty Ave
Jamaica
Central Branch New York Penn Station Sunnyside JCT
Woodside
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Jamaica
Hollis Francis Lewis Boulevard
Queens Village
Floral Park
Stewart Manor
Nassau Boulevard
Garden City
Country Life Press East Garden City
Nassau University Medical Center - Carman Ave
Levittown
Stewart Ave
Farmingdale - Main Street
North Lindenhurst
Babylon
Sag Harbor Branch
Long Island City Penny Bridge Haberman
Fresh Pond
Glendale
Richmond Hill
Jamaica
Saint Albans Farmers Boulevard
Valley Stream
Lynbrook
Rockville Centre
Baldwin
Freeport
Merrick
Bellmore
Wantagh
Seaford
Massapequa
Massapequa Park
Amityville
Copiague
Lindenhurst
Babylon
Bay Shore
Islip
Great River
Oakdale
Sayville
Patchogue
Bellport
Mastic – Shirley
Speonk
Westhampton
Hampton Bays
Southampton
Bridgehampton Sag Harbor
Sunset Park Branch Sunset Park
Bay Ridge
Ocean Parkway
Flatbush Ave
New Lots Road
Woodhaven Junction
Jamaica
HarborLink Grand Central Terminal
Sunnyside JCT
Woodside Middle Village
Wilson Ave
East New York
New Lots Road
Flatbush Ave
Ocean Parkway
Bay Ridge
St. George Ferry Terminal
Bayonne
Elizabethport
Midtown Elizabeth Roselle
Cranford
I think that adding branches to the LIRR shouldn't be a priority until we have frequent, rapid-transit like service on the sections we do have. East Side Access is only a few years away from completion, but I think we need to address the deteriorating East River Tunnels. Once ESA is open, immediately close one tube to completely overhaul it, and do this for all four tubes, one at a time. Because there are more jobs in East Midtown, the new capacity into GCT will end up reducing demand into Penn Station for a while, allowing the closure of the East River Tubes (one at a time). However, Midtown West's influence as a job center is growing, so we have only a limited amount of time before demand for travel into Penn Station returns to pre-ESA levels. Overhauling the East River Tubes sooner, rather than later, will minimize impact to service at rush hours. I know the LIRR wants to dramatically increase service on all branches once ESA opens, but holding off on that and allowing the Tubes to be overhauled will minimize unplanned disruptions to service in the long run (so long as regular maintenance continues after the overhaul -- something that might not be kept up given the track record of the MTA).
Once the Floral Park--Hicksville Third Track Project is completed, there will be extra room for more trains during rush hour. The next highest priority is double-tracking the Ronkonkoma branch to said station, and after that should be the electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch between Huntington and Port Jefferson, coupled with double-tracking the whole line if possible. After that, the MTA should look into converting the Far Rockaway, West Hempstead, and Oyster Bay branches to light rail, and connecting them up to create a continuous line with a local loop in Hempstead proper. This would open up capacity on the LIRR for truly rapid-transit service for the lines that remain. The light rail would be able to run more frequently than the LIRR branches it will replace, minimizing transfer times. It will also open up the Locust Manor/Laurelton route to Subway service pending capacity improvements that would allow the E train to run more trains and extend service to Laurelton (this is detailed in multiple updates of Andrew Lynch's futureNYCSubway posts on his website, vanshnookenraggen -- which is also his handle on that website). If any of the above sounds familiar, it's because the RPA were the ones to first propose converting the Far Rockaway, West Hempstead, and Oyster Bay branches to light rail.
Other than that, I think that all stations that would gain and retain electric service on the LIRR (so, not the branches replaced by light rail) should extend their platforms to accommodate 8-car trains, with the Port Washington upgrading to 12-car trains and the Long Beach and Hempstead upgrading to 10-car trains with the possibility of 12-car trains a little further down the line. Port Jefferson may or may not require 10-car trains during rush hour within the foreseeable future, and trains to/from Ronkonkoma may require 10-car trains as well. The Babylon and Montauk branches should attempt to double-track their entire lines (for more frequent service) before trying to upgrade to longer trains, given the density of the localities they serve (the Montauk branch should be electrified to Speonk and double-tracked that far as well). If possible, the Montauk branch should try to triple-track between Babylon and Great River to speed the diesel express trains to/from Montauk. If this is not possible, build frequent switches between Babylon and Patchogue to allow the diesel expresses to pass local electric trains and still allow AM rush hour eastbound, and PM rush hour westbound local trips between Babylon and Speonk.
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