Rail being installed for LIRR Double Track Project

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Workers began installing the first sections of rail on the $388-million Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Double Track Project, which will build a second track over an 18-mile stretch between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma stations.

 

“Today, we take action to help alleviate congestion on one of the Long Island Rail Road’s busiest lines and improve the commute for the tens of thousands of Long Islanders who depend on it,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “After decades of talk, I’m proud to see the Double Track project become a reality.”

Ridership on the LIRR’s Ronkonkoma Branch is more than 48,000 each weekday and has doubled over the past 25 years, growing in popularity since the line was electrified in 1988. With just one track along most of the 18-mile route between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, the LIRR can operate a limited number of trains and lacks operational flexibility in the event of a disruption. If one train becomes disabled, all other trains (east and west) have no way around the problem.

Construction of an uninterrupted second track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma has been part of the LIRR’s vision for decades. With design of the full project moving ahead, the first phase of construction got underway last year with workers clearing the path for four miles of new track between Ronkonkoma and Central Islip. The budget for the project design and this first section of track is $138 million, funded in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2010-2014 Capital Program. Phase 2 of the Double Track Project will extend the second track another 12.6 miles to Farmingdale, a goal the LIRR hopes to reach by 2019. The second phase’s $250-million cost is included in the MTA’s proposed 2015 – 2019 Capital Program.

“The four-mile stretch between Ronkonkoma and Central Islip is the first leg of the Double Track Project that will ultimately bring half-hourly, off-peak service to the Ronkonkoma Branch, improve service reliability and support economic growth by constructing a second track 18 miles to Farmingdale. When complete, east and westbound trains will operate simultaneously between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma. This will mean better reverse peak service to help spur the growth of employment centers on Long Island,” said LIRR President Patrick Nowakowski.

 

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