LIRR Hurricane Sandy Info
Here is the official press release from the MTA Long Island Rail Road with detailed plans about Hurricane Sandy:
MTA Long Island Rail Road announced today the plans for the system wide suspension of train service beginning by 7 PM on Sunday, October 28, in advance of Hurricane Sandy making landfall, for the safety of its customers, employees and to protect its equipment. Customers are urged not to wait for the last trains when making their travel plans.
Suspending service allows the LIRR to secure and protect its equipment and infrastructure from the strong winds and flooding expected to hit the Long Island on Monday, October 29. With the shutdown, train equipment – both electric and diesel – will be removed from yards in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding.
Until the suspension is complete, the LIRR will cross-honor New York City Transit MetroCards to stops in Brooklyn and Queens to facilitate a safe trip home.
A major and time-consuming aspect of the LIRR’s storm prep is the removal or tying up and securing of railroad crossing gates system-wide in advance of the storm to protect them from
high winds. The LIRR has 295 railroad grade crossings system-wide – the great majority of which are on the eastern portion of the system. Since each crossing has multiple gates, a total of 690 crossing gates need to be secured or removed – a process that takes approximately 12 hours. Power to the crossing gates will also be removed. This process must be completed prior to
forecasted sustained winds of 39 mph.Train service must be suspended for the crossing gates to be removed. The LIRR started removing gates yesterday east of Ronkonkoma on the Main Line to Greenport, where weekend service does not operate at this time of year. Additionally, crossing gates will start being removed on the Montauk Branch east of Speonk today, October 28. As a result, LIRR train service east of Speonk on the Montauk Branch will be replaced with buses starting Sunday at 9AM and continuing until 7 PM when the full service shut down begins.
Taking these pre-emptive measures before the full brunt of the storm arrives will help in the LIRR’s recovery efforts after the storm passes.
Last Train Departures by Branch
The following is a listing, by branch, of the last trains to operate before the shutdown at 7 PM.
Babylon Branch:
Eastbound: The 6:40 PM train from Penn Station, due Babylon at 7:57 PM.
Westbound: The 6:58 PM train from Babylon, due Penn Station at 8:12 PM.
Montauk Branch:
Eastbound: The 5:41 PM train from Jamaica, due Patchogue 6:49 PM.
Westbound: The 6:42 PM train from Speonk due Jamaica at 8:10 PM.
Ronkonkoma Branch:
Eastbound: The 6:15 PM train from Penn Station, due Ronkonkoma at 7:35 PM.
Westbound: The 6:40 PM train from Ronkonkoma, due Penn Station at 7:59 PM.
Port Jefferson Branch:
Port Jefferson:
Eastbound: The 5:36 PM train from Huntington, due Port Jefferson at 6:25 PM.Westbound: The 5:42 PM train from Port Jefferson, due Huntington at 6:29 PM.
Huntington:
Eastbound: The 6:51 PM train from Penn Station, due Huntington at 7:55 PM.
Westbound: The 6:36 PM train from Huntington, due Penn Station at 7:39 PM.
Oyster Bay Branch:
Eastbound: The 6:52 PM train from Jamaica, due Oyster Bay at 7:46 PM.
Westbound: The 6:20 PM train from Oyster Bay, due Jamaica at 7:14 PM.
Hempstead Branch:
Eastbound: The 6:42 PM train from Atlantic Terminal, due Hempstead at 7:35 PM.
Westbound: The 6:19 PM train from Hempstead, due Atlantic Terminal at 7:12 PM.
Long Beach Branch:
Eastbound: The 6:45 PM train from Penn Station, due Long Beach at 7:42 PM.
Westbound: The 6:26 PM train from Long Beach, due Penn Station at 7:21 PM.
Far Rockaway Branch:
Eastbound: The 6:12 PM train from Atlantic Terminal, due Far Rockaway at 7:05 PM.
Westbound: The 6:50 PM train from Far Rockaway, due Atlantic Terminal at 7:42 PM.
Port Washington Branch:
Eastbound: The 6:18 PM train from Penn Station, due Port Washington at 7:05 PM.
Westbound: The 6:40 PM train from Port Washington, due Penn Station at 7:25 PM.
West Hempstead Branch & East of Ronkonkoma to Greenport
Weekend service does not operate on the West Hempstead Branch and East of Ronkonkoma to Greenport on the Main Line.
Jets Fans Urged to Head Home after the Game:
Jets fans attending the game at the Meadowlands are reminded to check the LIRR timetables to determine when the last train on their branch leaves Penn Station before service is suspended.
Local residents, pedestrians and automobile drivers need to be aware that the third rail remains electrified even during a service suspension and equipment trains may be operating. Please act in
a safe manner in and around tracks.The LIRR will continue to monitor the storm closely and is in close contact with Nassau, Suffolk, New York City and New York State emergency officials. Based on the current forecast, the LIRR will not operate train service on Monday, October 29 in either the AM or PM. Limited train service may be operated on Tuesday, October 30; and full recovery of LIRR train service may not occur until Wednesday, October 31.
In order to restore service, power must be available to our substations, train equipment and crews must be repositioned, all crossing gates re-installed and fully tested and power to the crossing gates restored. In addition, any debris, such as fallen trees, must be removed from tracks and the right of way inspected.
xoxo Transit Blogger
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
I have not received word about service being available. I would assume no unless otherwise noted. As soon as I get anything from the MTA, I will post it.
First train out of Islip to Penn Monday am was 6:23. On-time (great) But with only four cars!? Consolidated schedule with not enough cars on the trains that are running does not make for a very happy commute for many. Can’t understand the reason for the reduced cars.
Will bus service be provided Tuesday to Wednesday?