LIRR : Third Track on the Mane Lion!

[BroadwayLion]

LION was looking at an NYC map of the commuter railroads. There was (is) a plan afoot (NIMBYS not withstanding) to put in a third track on the main line. That is a BIG disruption to the wealthy who live along that trackway who would have to put up with the construction, and even the condemnation of some property.

By the time they are done talking about it, they will need a fourth track anyway, so LION figures, why not bite the bullet and build a four track main line now, especially if it can be done without the NIMBYS knowing about it.

Him plans to get a pair of tunnel boring machines and run them underground from Jamaica to Hicksville, right under the existing ROW. The NIMBYS will never know that anybody is down there until all of a sudden most of the trains disappear with only a few locals running by their stations.

While you are at it, you could do the same thing to the Lower Montauk track. On the surface it is just the NY&A Montauk Sub, but under ground on the ROW already owned by the railroad, a new two track speedway is installed right into Penn Station.

The NIMBYS will never know about it!

 

ROAR

 

[daveklepper]

Multiply construction costs by twenty.   Of course, you are going to fund this effort, right?

[BroadwayLion]

In the greater scheme of things, this is Chump Change!

May as well do the work now, and then pay it back with grossly inflated dollars later.

ROAR

[Paul of Covington]

   Maybe the thing to do is to announce three additional tracks, then cut back as a concession to the nimbys.   That'll make them feel better.

[chutton01]

I believe one of the major issues here is that Grade Separation is a must here, and I believe 5 crossings were named in the initial plans in 2005 or so. Otherwise some major N/S roads (e.g. New Hyde Park Rd) would have "gate-down" times of 50 minutes per hour during rush hour (I don't want to hear railfan nonsense, in reality this is unacceptable).

Now, personally I like the idea of complete elevation  of the line between the current elevated section in Floral Park to the elevated section in Hicksville (I live within sight of the elevated Montauk Branch, and have no issue with it). That won't happen, instead you will have spot grade separation like we see with Roslyn Ave (and Herricks Rd). However, in New Hyde Park, I don't see any simple way out except for Floral Park style elevation from Covert Ave (well, west of that) to east of New Hyde Park Road and beyond - I believe you can even retain that industrial lead (used by the biodiesel com pany) if you hook up a west-facing switch around Denton Ave (and I would love to see that stupid one lane Denton Avenue Bridge replaced, it gets a decent amount of traffic and one lane is real hairy)

Skimming along via Google Earth, you more or less have a four track mainline up to the west side of Floral Park Station (and you could squeeze a fifth line in there with some repositioning of track - which won't be easy in reality), then the ROW is basically wide enough to handle 3 tracks (and indeed has 3 tracks in the area of the Herricks Bridge, some 3rd track ROW by the Roslyn Ave. bridge, and more or less 3 tracks east of the Wantagh Parkway), although clearly some areas are going to need some tricky designs (I'm thinking places like Carle Place and Mermillion Ave - and the Oyster Bay Branch interlocking).

Anyway, the major concern in that shoo-flys and temporary platforms will be needed during the multi-year construction project, and that likely mess is what the abutting homeowners dislike (besides the usual dislike of any change which might potentially lower your home's assessed valuation). The incoherent NIMBY screams that the NY&A would become the new UP mainline and haul long lines of Ethanol unit trains (2005's equivalent of Bakken crude trains) have more or less dissipated. 

The Roslyn Road Bridge build and Mineola Ave. bridge rebuild were the most recent revelant build activity on the line (Ellison Ave hasn't started yet), and they were somewhat disruptive for commuters and residents - can the MTA do better this time?