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No LIRR Long Beach Service This Weekend

Posted by
on February 18th, 2010 at 11:48 pm

New track being installed at the Powell Creek Bridge.New track being installed at the Powell Creek Bridge. Photo courtesy of MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).

Yet again, due to the construction of new bridges over Powell Creek & Hog Island Channel, the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is replacing Long Beach Line service with buses. Here are the complete details from a reminder press release that was sent to me earlier:

Buses will replace train service for Long Island Rail Road customers traveling between Long Beach and Valley Stream the weekend of Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28 as work continues on the construction of two new railroad bridges over Powell Creek and Hog Island Channel.

The shutdown of train service on that weekend was added to the LIRR’s original construction scheduled because recent snowstorms have impeded work on previous weekends. The Railroad’s goal is to complete the installation of both bridges before the Memorial Day.

The $24.5 million project, which is funded through the MTA Capital Budget and federal grants, will also require train outages on four other weekends later this year – March 20-21, March 27-28, May 1-2 and May 15-16. Each weekend will be preceded by a public notification so that LIRR Long Beach Branch customers can plan ahead.

In addition to the temporary busing for the weekend dates listed above, the work will require the Railroad to close the eastbound platforms at Island Park, Oceanside, East Rockaway and Centre Ave. Stations on the following weekends: February 20-21 and March 6-7. The LIRR reminds customers to allow extra time to cross over to the westbound platform upon arriving at those stations

Eastbound, when busing is in effect, customers will transfer to buses at Valley Stream for stations Lynbrook through Long Beach. Customers should allow up to 34 minutes of additional travel time.

Westbound, customers will board buses at stations Long Beach through Lynbrook bound for Valley Stream, where they will transfer to trains to complete their trip. Buses will depart up to 33 minutes earlier than scheduled train times.

Both the Powell Creek Bridge (located between the LIRR’s East Rockaway and Oceanside stations) and the Hog Island Channel Bridge (located between Oceanside and Island Park) were built in the 1920s, and have served the LIRR well for nearly 90 years. These two bridges are being replaced as part of the Railroad’s ongoing efforts to modernize its infrastructure and ensure safe and reliable service for our customers and neighbors for decades to come.

The existing Powell Creek and Hog Island Bridges are open-deck wooden and steel structures supported by wooden piles through which water is visible below. These structures will be removed and replaced with pre-cast concrete structures, supported by reinforced concrete-filled, steel pipe piles, which will provide safer, closed-deck concrete roadbeds.

The project will also alleviate a recurring flooding condition at Powell Creek Bridge, which has at times led to delays and temporary service suspensions, by raising the elevation of the bridge by approximately one foot. Bridge walkways will also be installed at both locations to make it safer for LIRR employees.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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C & D Trains Switch Routes Due To Construction

Posted by
on February 16th, 2010 at 1:14 am

I apologize for not posting this sooner but I have not been feeling well. If you have been following the “Service Diversions“, one of the biggest projects affecting multiple routes is the “Chambers Street Signal Modernization”. Once again this project will be a big part of the diversions as MTA NYC Transit announced yesterday afternoon, that the C Train & D Train trains will switch routes in Manhattan.

This change is effective as of 5 AM this morning & will last until February 20th. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release they sent out yesterday afternoon:

MTA NYC Transit announces that beginning Tuesday, February 16th at 5:00 am, Uptown service on the C and D trains will switch routes due to the replacement of signals which control a track switch in Lower Manhattan. Normal weekday service will be disrupted for the remainder of this week, through 12:00 a.m. Saturday, February 20th. This work, originally scheduled to begin February 8th was postponed due to last week’s snow storm and the implementation of NYC Transit’s Subway Cold Weather Plan. The project was rescheduled over this weekend in an attempt to make up lost time and control costs. We apologize for the late announcement.

The replacement work impacting service is part of a larger signal and track improvement project near the Chambers Street (A, C, E) station. This particular work involves a track switch outside of Canal Street which allows C trains making their way from Brooklyn to switch to the local tracks. The switch is currently being ‘straight railed’; forcing C trains to remain on the express tracks between Lower and Upper Manhattan.

To make up for the loss of local service along the Central Park West corridor, D trains will operate on the local tracks. Specifically, customers are advised of the following impacts to service:

• Uptown C runs express between Canal St, and 145th St.

• Uptown D runs local between 59th St. and 145th St.

• For Uptown service to Spring St., 23rd St. & 50th St. use E

• For Uptown service to 72nd St. thru 116th St. and 135th St. use B or D

• At 34th St., uptown C stops at A platform

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this late change in normal service will have, but the work underway is vital to continued safe and reliable train operation.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Says B67 Not Too Crowded

Posted by
on February 15th, 2010 at 1:19 am

The B67 is a very popular Brooklyn bus route that serves many different areas as it travels between “Dumbo” & “Kensington”. One of those areas in between is Park Slope & according to the neighborhood’s civic council, the route is overcrowded. However according to MTA New York City Transit, it is not. Gary Buiso of the New York Post has more in this report:

f it walks like and talks like a duck, it’s not always a duck, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority official said last week.

That’s the case at least along the B67, a bus line that some feel is overcrowded — just not the MTA.

“All the [numbers] are within our guidelines,” Andrew Inglesby, assistant director of MTA Government and Community Relations told the Park Slope Civic Council last week.

The civic group asked the MTA to examine the route and gauge conditions on it, which the group determined to be “seriously overcrowded,” and requiring the addition of at least one extra bus, particularly during school days.

Inglesby said that from 7-7:30 a.m., an average of 35.5 passengers ride the bus; from 7:30-8 a.m., that number jumps to 49.7; from 8-8:30, the average is even higher, at 51.5 passengers; and then from 8:30-9 a.m., the number dips to 48.

James Anyansi, a spokesperson for New York City Transit, the agency that operates the city’s buses and subways under the MTA’s oversight, said that for buses to be considered crowded, they must have an average of 54 passengers during peak hours, and 36 during off peak hours. If they are found to be technically crowded, more buses are added to a line, he said. “We do regular passenger counts, and if more buses are needed, we adjust accordingly,” he added.

Click here for the complete report.

I am not familiar with this route as it is one that I have never ridden. If the MTA’s numbers are accurate, I would tend to agree with them that the bus is not overcrowded. I am curious to see more data & see if any differences in numbers exist between MTA statistics & those from local riders. Hopefully more about this will be posted in the coming weeks.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 02-11-10

Posted by
on February 11th, 2010 at 11:37 pm

I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page with the latest planned information for the upcoming weekend, next week, & beyond in some cases. I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions or use your mobile device to access it while outside. Have a great weekend!

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LIRR: Holiday Schedule On President’s Day

Posted by
on February 11th, 2010 at 3:13 pm

As expected, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will be running on a holiday schedule this upcoming Monday, President’s Day. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me a short time ago:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road will operate on a holiday schedule on Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 15. In addition, three extra trains, one westbound and two eastbound, will operate on the Ronkonkoma Branch and cars will be added to selected trains. Off-peak fares will also be in effect all day.

The additional Ronkonkoma Branch trains are as follows:

Westbound:
Departs Ronkonkoma at 7:21 AM, making stops all stops to Hicksville, Jamaica, Woodside and arriving Penn Station at 8:47 AM.

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Eastbound:
Departs Penn Station at 4:37 PM, making stops at Woodside, Jamaica, Hicksville, Bethpage, then all stops to Ronkonkoma.

Departs Penn Station at 6:04 PM, making stops at Woodside, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, Merillon Avenue, Mineola, Carle Place, Hicksville, then all stops to Ronkonkoma.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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