<Hybrid Buses Make Dent In Fuel BillThe Oil Drum: LocalRestoring Staten Island's Rail Connections>

17 comments on Doubling the Capacity of the LIRR

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

crzwdjk on September 9, 2006 - 12:10pm Permalink | Subthread | Comments top
East Side Access will certainly increase Manhattan-bound LIRR capacity, but I don't think it will do much to improve matters on Long Island itself. Both the Main Line and the Babylon Branch are pretty much at capacity during rush hour, with the Main Line having to run trains in peak direction on both tracks. The key improvement that is needed there is a third track from Queens Village to Hicksville, which would allow for more trains to run to fill that new East Side tunnel, and also for more reverse commute service and so on.
The other thing that the LIRR needs to do is expand electrification. It has done wonders for the Ronkonkoma Branch, so why not extend the benefits elsewhere? I think the top priority should probably be Port Jefferson, to be completed when the third track is, as that line has the highest level of diesel train service. Oyster Bay is another good candidate, as that branch is not doing very well, partly because diesel trains are slow and its route is not very direct.
Also, the LIRR could reclaim some of its abandoned lines, such as the West Hempstead-Country Life Press-Mineola connection for cross-island service, or use the right of way eastward from Garden City on the old main line.
But the real problem, I think, is not the LIRR service, which is pretty darn good for commuter rail. It is in getting people to the stations, which currently involves massive parking lots and lots of cars. And while there is a Long Island Bus, I think the MTA should seriously look into building streetcar lines, specifically to connect to LIRR stations, and reduce the demand for parking.
0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Glenn on September 9, 2006 - 12:19pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Thanks for the information crzwdjk. At the community board meeting I attended where they presented this, MTA predicted an immediate 50% capacity improvement and suggested that with some other improvements along the lines, they might be able to  increase it further to 100%.

Electrification, reviving old ROW, and trolley/streetcar services are all very good ideas. There are some very nice little towns left, but they lack the density to make public transport work in many places. They might want to massively rezone the area around the stations and try to build more dense communities around them.

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
crzwdjk on September 9, 2006 - 3:39pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Nassau County is built fairly densely, especially along the LIRR lines. And in this case, a lower density is needed because you just have to get everyone to the LIRR station, rather than getting them to various dispersed destinations. Even having smaller dispersed parking lots along the feeder trolley lines is better than the huge central parking lots at LIRR stations. And then the parking lot land could be put to good use, like the aforementioned rezoning.
0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Glenn on September 9, 2006 - 3:44pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
gotcha - thanks for elaborating
0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
NWPETA on September 10, 2006 - 11:03am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I think the MTA should seriously look into building streetcar lines, specifically to connect to LIRR stations, and reduce the demand for parking.

The weakest link in the NYC metro area is the lack of good local transit systems in the suburbs. Light rail connections from suburban stations are the logical next step. Since light rail is not commuter rail and not subject to Federal Railroad Administration standards, it can be built more economically. Light rail also has the versatility of being able to leave a grade-separated right of way and access commercial and residential areas directly via streets and roads. The new light rail systems built elsewhere in North America function as a combination of rapid transit, commuter rail and streetcars. The best example is Portland, where light rail uses grade-separated right of way to get to the suburbs and then runs down the center of boulevards for the last few miles of suburbia. New Jersey Transit has built some light rail, but there is nothing in New York and Connecticut.
0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.