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LIRR Service Plan For Today’s AM Rush

Posted by
on January 12th, 2011 at 6:03 am

A short while ago, the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) issued their service plan for today’s morning rush which includes the cancellation of 23 westbound trains. Here are the complete details:

As a result of the snowfall from the Nor’easter, the MTA Long Island Rail Road plans to operate a significantly reduced weekday AM Rush schedule.

The limited weekday train service includes the cancelation of 23 westbound AM rush trains and extremely limited train service in the LIRR’s diesel territory. Additionally, there will be no diesel train service east of Speonk on the Montauk Branch and east of Ronkonkoma on the Main Line to Greenport.

The Railroad’s aim is always to keep as much train service operating as possible on all branches. But to ensure customer and employee safety, service may be temporarily suspended if snow continues to accumulate through morning service and accumulations reaches 10 to 13 inches. These suspensions will permit our employees to make maximum use of snow removal equipment to clear drifting snow and ice from our tracks, switches and train yards so safe and reliable service can be restored.

If customers are planning to travel, they are urged to check on LIRR service before heading to train stations by monitoring the MTA website, www.mta.info, listening to the latest news broadcasts and traffic reports and/or signing up for our free E-Alerts that provide the latest train information direct from the LIRR train operations center.

AM Peak Train Cancelations:

The 23 canceled westbound AM rush hour trains include:

Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch:

• The 6:25 AM train from Hicksville, due in Penn Station at 7:11 AM. Customers can take the 6:15 AM train from Huntington, due in Penn Station at 7:17 AM, which will make added stops at Carle Place, Merillon Avenue and New Hyde Park.

• The 6:50 AM train from Huntington, due in Hunterspoint Avenue at 7:49 AM.

• The 8:55 AM train from Huntington , due in Penn Station at 10:05 AM. Customers can take the 9:44 AM train from Hicksville, due in Penn Station at 10:29 AM, which will made added stops at Westbury, Carle Place, Merillon Avenue, New Hyde Park, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside.

—

Port Washington Branch:

• The 6:17 AM train from Port Washington, due in Penn Station at 7:03 AM, is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 6:25 AM train from Port Washington, due in Penn Station at 7:14 AM.

• The 8:58 AM train from Great Neck, due in Penn Station at 9:34 AM.

—

Babylon Branch:

• The 5:59 AM train from Massapequa Park, due in Penn Station at 6:55 AM.

• The 6:57 AM train from Freeport, due in Penn Station at 7:40 AM. Customers can take the 6:32 AM train from Babylon, due in Penn Station at 7:37 AM, which will make added stops at Freeport, Baldwin, and Rockville Centre.

• The 6:59 AM train from Massapequa Park, due in Atlantic Terminal at 7:54 AM.

• The 7:29 AM train from Freeport, due in Penn Station at 8:13 AM. Customers can take the 7:11 AM train from Massapequa Park, due in Penn Station at 8:08 AM, which will make added stops at Freeport, Baldwin and Rockville Centre.

• The 7:48 AM train from Wantagh, due in Penn Station at 8:40 AM.

• The 8:03 AM train from Long Beach, due in Penn Station at 8:54 AM is canceled. Customers will be accommodated by the 8:08 AM train from Long Beach, due in Penn Station at 9:02 AM.

• The 8:10 AM train from Freeport, due in Penn Station at 8:50 AM.

• The 8:25 AM train from Freeport, due in Penn Station at 9:08 AM.

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Ronkonkoma Branch:

• The 6:00 AM train from Farmingdale, due in Penn Station at 6:50 AM.

• The 6:54 AM train from Central Islip, due in Penn Station at 8:06 AM.

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Far Rockaway Branch:

• The 6:28 AM train from Far Rockaway, due in Atlantic Terminal at 7:23 AM.

• The 8:10 AM train from Far Rockaway, due in Penn Station at 9:05 AM.

• The 8:54 AM train from Far Rockaway, due in Atlantic Terminal at 9:50 AM.

—

Long Beach Branch:

• The 6:54 AM train from Long Beach, due in Atlantic Avenue Terminal at 7:49 AM

—

Hempstead Branch:

• The 6:58 AM train from Hempstead, due in Penn Station at 7:52 AM (715)

• The 7:36 AM train from Hempstead, due in Atlantic Avenue Terminal at 8:28 AM (721)

—

Oyster Bay Branch:

• The 7:26 AM train from East Williston, due in Penn Station at 8:14 AM

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West Hempstead Branch:

• The 5:37 AM train from West Hempstead, due in Valley Stream at 5:52 AM

_______

AM Peak Diesel Train that Are Operating:

The following AM rush hour diesel trains will operate as detailed below:

Port Jefferson Branch:

The 5:44 AM from Port Jefferson to Huntington, arriving at 6:28 AM

The 7:35 AM from Port Jefferson to Huntington, arriving at 8:22 AM

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Montauk Branch:

The 5:30 AM from Speonk to Hunterspoint Ave., arriving at 7:26 AM

The 7:12 AM from Speonk to Hunterspoint Ave., arriving at 9:11 AM

—

Oyster bay Branch:

The 7:13 AM from Oyster Bay to Long Island City, arriving 8:34 AM

_____________

Customers are advised to check the LIRR’s website for additional trains that may be added if conditions permit.

Reverse Peak train Cancellations:

The following eastbound Reverse peak trains will be canceled:

• The 7:23 AM train from Penn Station, due in Jamaica at 7:47 AM.

• The 8:31 AM train from Atlantic Avenue Terminal, due in Jamaica at 8:49 AM

I will try to post information as soon as I receive it.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR, Service Alerts
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MTA Winter Storm Preparation Plans

Posted by
on January 11th, 2011 at 2:24 pm

As you know by now, yet another major snowstorm is expected to hit the region. The forecasts are calling for a decent amount of accumulation & it is safe to assume that mass transit will be affected in someway if the forecasts come through.

Earlier this afternoon, the MTA held a press conference to discuss their current storm preparation plans. Here are a few details from the conference:

NYC Transit has instituted Plan 4 which is where they expect 5 inches of snow or more & consists of the following:

Subways Storm Control Center in Brooklyn activated.

The operation of maximum length trains on all lines Including OPTO lines.

Underground storage in effect (Train cars normally stored outside are laid up underground mainly on express tracks aka express service not running for the most part.)

The activation of local storm centers.

Ice storm fighting equipment activated.

G.O.s aka service diversions and work trains will be cancelled where needed.

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) initially instituted a Level 3 in terms of plans which is where they have expectations of at least 9 inches. However this morning they upgraded to a Level 4 (mainly due to potential blizzard like winds) which consists of the following:

Ice storm or severe icing conditions that result from sleet or freezing rain may result in track and/or equipment failures; they also make walking outside quite dangerous. A blizzard is a storm that contains large amounts of snow or blowing snow, with continuous winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than a quarter mile. In the event that either occurs, train movement may be curtailed, especially if there are frozen switches or the loss of third rail power for electric trains. Icing can have a greater impact on travel conditions than heavy snowfall and can develop very quickly.

Bridges & Tunnels have instituted a Level 3 service plan & Metro-North Rail Road a Level 4 which consists of the same policies as the LIRR’s.

I will post information as I get it throughout the day & during the storm itself.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 01-10-11

Posted by
on January 10th, 2011 at 7:34 am

Well the storm that hit the region from Friday & into the weekend packed a very light punch. So most of the diversions that were cancelled probably could have gone on but the MTA did the right thing in canceling just in case.

A new week is upon us & I just updated the Service Diversions page with the scheduled work for this week & beyond in some cases. I suggest printing out a copy before departing to your destination.

If you have an internet capable handheld device, use it to access Transit Blogger’s mobile site. The next update will be on Wednesday or Thursday when the MTA sends me the weekend schedule.

As always, stay safe throughout all of your travels.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Appoints New Head Of Security

Posted by
on January 7th, 2011 at 2:24 pm

Douglas Zeigler
Newly appointed MTA Director of Security Douglas Zeigler. Photo courtesy of the MTA.

The MTA has officially appointed a new Head of Security. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release they literally just sent out:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the appointment of Douglas Zeigler as its Director of Security.

Zeigler, a 37-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, began his law enforcement career in 1973 and served in a variety of positions including Chief of the Community Affairs Bureau, Chief of the Organized Crime Control Bureau, Chief of the Housing Bureau and Borough Commander for Patrol Borough Queens North. He retired from NYPD in June 2010. Chief Zeigler has a law degree from New York Law School and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

“The safety and security of the millions of people who use our transit system every day is our top priority, and Chief Zeigler is uniquely qualified to lead our multi-faceted security program,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder. “Chief Zeigler brings with him a wealth of knowledge from three decades at the NYPD that will guide MTA security policy and support the continuation of our tight partnership with local, state and federal law enforcement,” Walder said.

Mr. Zeigler, 63, will oversee security for the MTA, including coordinating MTA security efforts with the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, the National Guard, NYPD and State Police, as well as the MTA Police Department, which has jurisdiction in 14 counties in New York and Connecticut, patrolling approximately 5,000-square miles of the MTA’s rail network.

“The MTA’s services are so important to our way of life here in New York, and I look forward to working with the MTA Police and our colleagues in law enforcement to keep our customers safe and our system secure,” said Chief Zeigler.

Zeigler replaces retiring Chief William A. Morange, who is retiring after serving seven years at the MTA. Morange is also a 39-year veteran of the NYPD.

“Chief Morange has enjoyed an unparalleled career in law enforcement, and for the past seven years he played a crucial role in protecting our transit system,” said Walder. “His legacy is a much more secure transportation system, and he will be missed.”

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 01-07-11

Posted by
on January 7th, 2011 at 4:08 am

Normally this post would talk about how I posted the latest scheduled diversions for the weekend & beyond. However with an anticipated snow storm set to hit the region again, the MTA has instituted their Plan 4 snow response which partially includes the cancellation of all scheduled diversions outside of stations already closed.

I have not posted next week’s diversions as I am not sure what will be in place after the storm hits. I will update all of you with information when I receive it from the MTA. Long Island Rail Road riders need to be aware of extra early afternoon service being offered by the LIRR due to the expected storm. Click here for all the information.

If you must go outside this weekend, please be careful & have a wonderful weekend.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions