52 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

From New York, NY Times, 5/13/07:

AS the Long Island Rail Road tells it, no effort is being spared to minimize the negative effects on communities along 10 miles of the Main Line from Floral Park to Hicksville where it wants to add a third track.

Continue here.

[AlanB]

But opponents — including elected officials and groups in trackside villages like Floral Park, New Hyde Park, Mineola, Garden City, Garden City Park, Carle Place and Westbury — are joining forces and digging in for what they expect to be a long fight.

Personally I'd recommend taking a page out of Norman Minetta's playbook to solve this problem. Oppose the badly needed third track and the LIRR will stop serving stations in those towns. No stops mean more trains to/from points further east, therefore the need for a third track would diminish some. If these towns were being asked to directly contribute to the third track, then things might be different. But this is an improvement for them, that esentially they are getting for free, other than their tax obligations to the State of NY.

As for the numbers that they are questioning, it's already clear that the LIRR can't run enough train westbound in the morning to accomodate the needs of LI, and eastbound in the evening. And one only needs look at the gap of about an hour and a half going eastbound when one can't get from Jamaica to Hicksville during the morning rush hour to know that reverse peak service is needed. Contrast that with the Babylon branch which sees a train heading eastbound about every 20 minutes during the morning rush.

[CNJRoss]

The New York Times, 3/2:

Communities Roar Over Track Expansion Plan

FOR half a century, John and Helen Chilarski have lived along the Long Island Rail Road tracks. In a house they say cost $20,000 in 1957, they raised their two sons here, a 25-minute commute to Pennsylvania Station.

And in two years, they may lose it.

Theirs is one of several houses that could be razed for a railroad expansion project. In a 10-mile corridor stretching between Floral Park and Hicksville, the Long Island Rail Road plans to lay a third track as a passing lane for trains caught in railroad traffic jams.

Continue.

[KevinKorell]

From New York, NY Newsday, 7/11/08:

Dramatic MTA funding shortfalls will likely delay the Long Island Rail Road's controversial plan to establish a third track along a heavily trafficked 10-mile section of its main line between Hicksville and Floral Park, railroad president Helena Williams said Thursday.

Williams stressed that the so-called "third track" project remains a vital part of the railroad's planned eventual connection with Grand Central Station.

Read about it here.

[CNJRoss]

LIRR news release, 1/5:

 

LIRR to Undergo Major Improvements -- Expanding Along Main Line from Floral Park to Hicksville

Third Track Will Ease Commuting and Attract Businesses and Jobs

 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled the second signature proposal of his 2016 agenda: a comprehensive plan to transform and expand vital infrastructure downstate and make critical investments in the region. Most notably, the proposal includes a major expansion and improvement project for the Long Island Rail Road. The Governor outlined these initiatives at an event today in Nassau County, where he was joined by Long Island Association President Kevin Law, MTA Chairman Thomas F. Prendergast and LIRR President Patrick Nowakowski.

 

“Long Island’s future prosperity depends on a modern transportation network that eases congestion on our roads, improves service on the LIRR, helps this region’s economy and preserves the character of these great communities,” said Governor Cuomo. “This is a robust and comprehensive agenda to do just that and help build a brighter tomorrow for Nassau and Suffolk residents.”

 

The signature components of the Governor’s 2016 Long Island agenda are detailed below:

 

LIRR Improvement Program: Floral Park-Hicksville Expansion

Currently, the LIRR is limited by track capacity. At peak times, the LIRR is forced to run trains in one direction between Floral Park and Hicksville, making it impossible for reverse commuters and intra-island travelers. In essence, millions of people are limited by a system of transportation designed and virtually unchanged from 50 years ago.

 

In order to modernize the system, improve commutes for millions of customers, and reduce congestion on Long Island’s roads, the Governor is announcing a renewed effort to expand the LIRR’s capacity between Floral Park and Hicksville. The project will allow the LIRR to increase service, reduce congestion and train delays caused whenever there is an incident along this busy stretch of tracks and will enable the LIRR to run “reverse-peak” trains to allow people to take the LIRR to jobs on Long Island during traditional business hours.

 

By allowing the LIRR to increase service between Floral Park and Hicksville, it will provide a more attractive alternative to driving and thereby reduce traffic on Long Island’s major east-west highways, like the L.I.E., Northern State and Southern State, and more trains will make it easier for Long Islanders to reach LaGuardia and Kennedy airports by train.

 

Unlike previous plans, this new effort dramatically minimizes the impact on communities along the right of way. The Governor’s proposal reduces the previous length of the corridor from 11.5 miles to today’s proposal of 9.8 miles. Even more importantly, the Governor’s proposal would confine virtually all construction activity within the existing right of way. The number of property acquisitions required would be reduced from approximately 200 in prior proposals to just 50 in the Governor’s proposal. Of those acquisitions, only 20 would involve residences, and the average resident acquisition would be five feet wide.

 

Property Owner Protections

The Governor’s proposal contains an innovative landowner protection program. Residential land owners would be offered the choice of compensation for the strip of land – on average five feet wide – that the LIRR needs to acquire, or the option of a full buyout. For commercial landowners they would be offered compensation, plus assistance, if needed, from Empire State Development to remain in their community.

 

Environmental Reviews

Across the whole corridor, the LIRR will conduct environmental reviews including studies to analyze noise mitigation strategies and new rail technology.

 

Grade Crossing Safety Reviews

Additionally, the LIRR will conduct a comprehensive safety analysis to address and ensure all aspects of safety at the seven remaining street crossings.

 

Robust Community Engagement

Finally, the LIRR is launching an extensive community engagement program to ensure local input is heard and addressed. This will include direct outreach to property owners adjacent to the tracks and broad outreach across all affected communities – elected officials, community organizations and advocacy groups. Meetings will be organized in all communities along the corridor to provide information and to solicit input. LIRR will also launch a new website to provide a venue for residents to provide feedback directly to the project team and to receive continuously updated information about the project.

 

Rider Benefits

Two out of every five LIRR riders use the main line between Floral Park and Hicksville. It is the route used by the busy Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Branches. Some Montauk Branch trains use the corridor as well, and all Oyster Bay Branch trains use it for a portion of their trips. With just two tracks, this busy corridor becomes congested during rush hour. In the event that a train becomes disabled, the LIRR has very few options to route trains around a disabled train, and the result can be cascading delays rippling across the line and impacting thousands of people.

 

The LIRR Expansion project will also complement the East Side Access megaproject, which is doubling the LIRR’s capacity into Manhattan by building a new terminal underneath Grand Central Terminal.

 

“The next generation of young people wants to live in urban areas, whether it is within the five boroughs of New York City or in thriving suburban downtowns and transit-oriented enclaves with easy access to train transportation,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “Our efforts to expand the Main Line will support transit-oriented development around Long Island and make it easier for Long Island to attract businesses and employees. This isn’t experimental, it’s a well understood direct correlation that we’ve seen happen already in the region served by Metro-North. When there is train capacity to allow New York City residents to ‘reverse commute’ to suburban jobs, people take that opportunity and the job growth follows.”

 

“When I first came to the LIRR, I was impressed with the magnitude of the operation, and the lengths that our people go to think creatively to overcome challenging situations,” said LIRR President Patrick Nowakowksi. “But I was very surprised that an operation of this magnitude – the central spine of the busiest commuter railroad in the United States – was at its heart very fragile. A third track will enable us to provide a better experience for our customers with better on-time performance and fewer hassles from delayed trains. And it will attract new customers to our environmentally friendly mode of transportation.”

[KevinKorell]

Journal News, White Plains, NY, 3/7/16:

 

Governor Cuomo: Eliminate grade-level rail crossings on commuter lines

 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Monday for eliminating grade crossings on commuter rail lines, calling the street-level intersections "dangerous" and saying everybody should be "ashamed" that they still exist.

Story

 

Are you kidding me?  On whose backs will this expense be levied?  Or will you get Mexico to pay for it?  The people who should be ashamed are those who drive vehicles while distracted or ignore all warnings, thus causing grade crossing incidents.  Eliminating all grade crossings on Metro North & Long Island Railroads, as on the majority of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, would be cost prohibitive.

[KevinKorell]

News 12 Long Island, 3/7/16:

 

Residents mixed on LIRR third rail proposal

 

Long Island residents are mixed about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to build a third set of tracks along the LIRR's main line

Poor headline. Not a third rail but a third track.  Article is here.

[KevinKorell]

WABC-TV, ABC-7 in New York, NY, 3/8/16:

 

 

Gov. Cuomo calls for eliminating some railroad crossings as part of LIRR expansion plan

 

 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing eliminating some railroad crossings as part of his planned $1 billion third track expansion to the LIRR's main line between Floral Park and Hicksville.

More

 

But not everyone is convinced they want an LIRR passing lane in their backyard.

Um, how about not buying property abutting an active rail line?

[CNJRoss]

LIRR news release 3/29:

 

Governor Cuomo Announces Contract Award for Environmental Consultant for LIRR Expansion Project

 

LIRR Begins Environmental Review, Formal Community Engagement Process for 9.8-mile Project

 

 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the hiring of a consulting firm to assist in the environmental review and formal community engagement process for the LIRR Main Line Expansion Project, which calls for adding a third track along a critical 9.8-mile section of LIRR’s Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville Stations.

 

The addition of the third track will increase capacity while allowing trains to pass disabled equipment and avoid track and signal problems, thus greatly improving service reliability along this heavily traveled corridor. It will also allow for reverse-peak service and greater intra-Island travel, and support planned service growth in future years as the LIRR begins service to Grand Central Terminal.

 

The contract is being awarded by the Long Island Rail Road to a joint venture of Gannett Fleming and AECOM - firms that have vast experience in conducting in-depth and accelerated reviews. The joint venture was selected by the LIRR to conduct public outreach, environmental review and preliminary engineering. The contract is valued at $6.95 million.

 

"This is an important step forward in this project, which is so critical to the future of Long Island residents and the region's economy," Governor Cuomo said. "Earlier this year, I promised that we would engage with the community at an unprecedented level and use the environmental review process to mitigate adverse impacts on the local communities in every way possible. This project will not only improve commutes but also reduce traffic congestion and strengthen the environment by getting more Long Islanders out of their cars."

 

The contract announced today calls for the development of initial conceptual engineering designs within the existing right-of-way between Floral Park and Hicksville where a third track will be constructed and can be extended to cover preparation of design-build contracts and additional support during the project’s construction. The review will also identify community benefits from the project and ways to mitigate adverse impacts during construction.

 

Governor Cuomo has already announced that construction of the third track right-of-way will not require any acquisition of residential properties.

 

The LIRR Main Line Expansion project will greatly benefit the local communities by modifying all seven street-level railroad crossings in the project's corridor. The project team will work with local communities to determine the best possible outcome for each crossing. The seven crossings are:

 

•Covert Avenue in New Hyde Park

 

•S. 12th Street in New Hyde Park

 

•New Hyde Park Road in New Hyde Park

 

•Main Street in Mineola

 

•Willis Avenue in Mineola

 

•School Street in Westbury

 

•Urban Avenue in New Cassel

 

Modifying these crossings will increase safety for motorists, pedestrians and rail commuters; eliminate traffic congestion on local streets from crossing gates, and sharply reduce noise from bells and train horns.

 

The environmental review process will also include an extensive public outreach program that will far exceed statutory requirements. This effort will encompass public meetings, a project office within the affected corridor and frequent meetings and other communications with local elected officials and community stakeholders. Outreach is being modeled on the highly successful process used on the New NY Bridge project, in which the environmental review was expedited to happen concurrently with the project team conducting more than 100 community meetings.

 

The LIRR and the Gannett Fleming/AECOM team will hold public hearings, accept formal public comment, and issue an environmental impact statement about the project.

[CNJRoss]

LIRR news release, 5/5:

 

Governor Cuomo Announces Major Steps Forward for LIRR Expansion Project

 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced major steps forward for the Long Island Rail Road Expansion Project, including a continued commitment to community outreach by holding four public meetings, expedited modifications to all train crossings along the project route, and increased transparency with the release of a new project scoping report, website and community center.

 

“A third track on the main line is crucial to the future of Long Island,” said Governor Cuomo. “This project will make the LIRR more reliable for millions of customers, while also eliminating multiple dangerous train crossings along the main line. Our proposal will ensure that we can continue to improve the quality of life and grow the economy in the region, and I encourage New Yorkers to learn more about how we’re working to build a brighter future for Long Island.

 

Extensive Public Engagement

Since Governor Cuomo unveiled the proposal in January, a project team composed of his executive staff along with key MTA, LIRR and DOT officials have worked non-stop to refine the plan in close consultation with elected officials, property owners, business and civic leaders and other major stakeholders.

 

To date, more than 80 meetings have been held with stakeholders, including the mayors of the Villages of Floral Park, New Hyde Park, Garden City, Mineola and Westbury, state legislators, local civic associations and school boards, chambers of commerce, officials from the Towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Babylon, Islip and Brookhaven as well as Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The Governor also met personally with the mayors to discuss the proposal and address concerns.

 

While only one public meeting is required, the four public meetings announced today will offer the public direct access to the project team and provide residents, business owners and other stakeholders an opportunity to discuss the project and comment on the scope of work needed, which will result in an environmental impact statement to be released late this summer.

 

Increased Transparency

Reaffirming his commitment to transparency, the Governor today released a detailed draft scoping document that outlines options for modifying the crossings and the proposed environmental analysis. The project has also launched www.AModernLI.com – a website where the public can learn more about the project and provide direct input.

 

The release of the scoping document comes nearly three weeks ahead of the first public hearing, ensuring that local residents, business owners, and elected officials have ample time to review the proposal. Governor Cuomo is committed to ensuring an extensive degree of public engagement about the project, and state officials will be holding four separate public hearings throughout the affected corridor. Those hearings will be held on:

• Tuesday, May 24, 2016 from 11 am to 2 pm at The Inn at New Hyde Park, located at 214 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park, NY 11040.
• Tuesday, May 24, 2016 from 6 pm to 9 pm at Hofstra University, in the Mack Student Center’s Student Theatre, located at 1000 Fulton Ave, Hempstead, NY 11549.
• Wednesday, May 25, 2016 from 11 am to 2 pm at the ”Yes We Can” Community Center, located at 141 Garden St, Westbury, NY 11590.
• Wednesday, May 25, 2016 from 6 pm to 9 pm at Antun’s, located at 244 W. Old Country Road, Hicksville, NY 11801.

MTA officials will also open a LIRR Expansion Project Information Center beginning May 6, located on the south platform at the Mineola Train Station. This information center will provide opportunities for people to review the scoping document and ask questions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 am to 7pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 7am to 3pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 3pm.

 

Improving Grade Crossing Safety

The Governor has already committed to modifying all seven street-level train crossings in the project corridor but will now also do this on an expedited basis in order to dramatically improve safety for both vehicles and pedestrians; to sharply reduce noise by train horns and bells; and to reduce severe traffic congestion caused by crossing gates being down for prolonged periods of time during peak travel times.

 

MTA Chairman and CEO Tom Prendergast said: “We all know grade crossings are a chronic problem, complicating traffic flow and presenting round-the-clock safety challenges. The Governor’s commitment to speeding up the construction to solve crossing issues along the project route is welcome news for everyone.”

 

The draft scoping report presents a number of key safety-enhancing options for train crossing improvements along the project’s 9.8 mile route. These construction improvements would also take place on an expedited timetable – with each grade crossing project completed in nine months or less – to significantly ease local traffic congestion.

 

The train crossings along the LIRR Main Line segment between Floral Park and Hicksville that will be modified are: Covert Ave., South 12th St. and New Hyde Park Rd., all in New Hyde Park; Main St. and Willis Ave., in Mineola; School St. in Westbury and Urban Ave. in New Cassel.

 

About the Project

With just two tracks to service Ronkonkoma, Port Jefferson, Hempstead, Oyster Bay and some Montauk Branch trains, the Railroad has historically been hindered by congestion during peak travel periods and frequent delays, whether caused by a disabled train, a track condition, a medical emergency or a trespasser. A third track will bring other improvements, including infrastructure upgrades at LIRR stations and parking facilities, the construction of retaining walls along portions of the corridor to minimize property impacts and the upgrading of railroad signal systems, substations, culverts, interlocking, crossovers, sidings, track bed, power systems and communications systems.

 

This LIRR Expansion will support current service plans, and is an important component to the future success of the LIRR’s East Side Access Project, taking Long Island commuters to Grand Central Station and the East Side of Manhattan for the first time. Together the projects are expected to cut commuting time for many customers by up to 20 minutes in each direction.