When will it ever take 45 minutes from Ronkonkoma or Babylon to Penn?

[lawnguysland 0]

Honestly...is it really so much to ask to travel 50 miles (Ronk-Penn) or 35 miles (Babylon-Penn) in 45 minutes? Now let me be clear...I do NOT commute to NYC for work, so I do not leave at rush hour. I go to the city for my leisure so I can leave when I want to avoid traffic. When I choose when I want to drive in, I make it in 45 minutes almost every time to the Queens border from 40 miles out. This includes minimal traffic. I am 23...in my lifetime is it too much to ask for a 45 minute instead of 80 minute ride from Ronk to Penn?

[Cait Sith 8,030]

Honestly...is it really so much to ask to travel 50 miles (Ronk-Penn) or 35 miles (Babylon-Penn) in 45 minutes? Now let me be clear...I do NOT commute to NYC for work, so I do not leave at rush hour. I go to the city for my leisure so I can leave when I want to avoid traffic. When I choose when I want to drive in, I make it in 45 minutes almost every time to the Queens border from 40 miles out. This includes minimal traffic. I am 23...in my lifetime is it too much to ask for a 45 minute instead of 80 minute ride from Ronk to Penn?

 

 

No offense, but you sound rather ungrateful right now seeing that you JUST got back LIRR service....just be happy that you have SOME sort of service back up and running....what you have now is better than nothing....

 

If this isn't about today's restoration, however, I can't help you out much there. I'm not sure about how service is out there seeing that the farthest I usually go is either Valley Stream or Garden City.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Cait Sith

[lawnguysland 0]

It's not in regards to restoration at all. It's in regards to the duration of the trip from Ronk/Babylon to Penn on a typical off peak day. 1 hour and 20 minutes to go 35-50 miles seems like something from ancient times. And just because you don't go past Valley Stream or GC doesn't mean I live far, it just means you live near the border of Queens. I consider myself central LI exactly halfway from the NYC border and halfway from the Hamptons. About 45 min each way by car with minimal traffic on an off peak hour. It shocks me that even from Jamaica it can take 30-35 minutes just to get in Penn. From central LI, 1 hour 20 min is ridiculous for something that can easily go 70-80 MPH and cut many stops no one ever gets off at such as Pinelawn, Bethpage, Hillside, Woodside, etc. Even from the Nassau border it takes 1 hour...that is madness. When will the technology catch up with the LIRR enough to routinely get people from Ronk to Penn in 45 minutes consistently? Do you think it's doable in my lifetime (I'm 23)?

[LIRR 154 169]

#1 reason why I don't want no parts of being an conductor for the RR.

[LIRR 154 169]

Comparing driving time to train is ridiculous especially what people are going through. Great timing dude.

[Truckie 374]

edit: double post

Edited November 2, 2012 by Truckie

[Truckie 374]

If you don't like the travel time, then drive. There's no secret prior to getting on the train how long it's going to take.

 

If your complaining about it in an effort for something to be done, then your barking up the wrong tree. It would be better to direct you efforts to the company than some forums that have no affiliation with the LIRR or the MTA.

[Phantom909 289]

Honestly...is it really so much to ask to travel 50 miles (Ronk-Penn) or 35 miles (Babylon-Penn) in 45 minutes? Now let me be clear...I do NOT commute to NYC for work, so I do not leave at rush hour. I go to the city for my leisure so I can leave when I want to avoid traffic. When I choose when I want to drive in, I make it in 45 minutes almost every time to the Queens border from 40 miles out. This includes minimal traffic. I am 23...in my lifetime is it too much to ask for a 45 minute instead of 80 minute ride from Ronk to Penn?

 

 

 

yes make no stops from ronkonkoma to penn, good for you but screw everyone else. smh

 

joe

Edited November 3, 2012 by Phantom909

[Kamen Rider 1,850]

Why am I getting Deja vu?

 

oh, that's right, because we had the exact same argument conversation almost exactly a year ago with the exact same person. he then promptly vanished and has now shown up again.

 

http://www.nyctransi...ith-less-stops/

 

You want Ronk-penn in under an hour, convince the railroad to run a non-stop train. Oh, wait, they can't since they only have one track because your "far-out-on-the-island" neighbors have a hissy fit every time the railroad wants to expand, take it up with them, not us. This is PUBLIC transit we're talking about, and whit PUBLIC transit there has to be some level of compromise between your needs and those of the other people who use the railroad.

 

You've got it in your head that the trains should be faster, when there is no baisis for that argument other than you're lazy and seem to have next to no paetince.

 

wait, why am I wasting my time with you. I said nearly the exact same thing last year and it obviosuly never sank in over the last year...

Edited November 3, 2012 by Kamen Rider

[RestrictOnTheHanger 287]

3 biggest reasons for not being able to get to Penn in what you would consider a "reasonable" time period: track and switch geometry requires trains to pass over certain points at certain speeds, stopping patterns to make sure you're serving the most people in the most efficient way possible, and other trains. That is the short version.

Edited November 3, 2012 by RestrictOnTheHanger

[kentsfield 60]

Why am I getting Deja vu?

 

oh, that's right, because we had the exact same argument conversation almost exactly a year ago with the exact same person. he then promptly vanished and has now shown up again.

 

http://www.nyctransi...ith-less-stops/

 

You want Ronk-penn in under an hour, convince the railroad to run a non-stop train. Oh, wait, they can't since they only have one track because your "far-out-on-the-island" neighbors have a hissy fit every time the railroad wants to expand, take it up with them, not us. This is PUBLIC transit we're talking about, and whit PUBLIC transit there has to be some level of compromise between your needs and those of the other people who use the railroad.

 

You've got it in your head that the trains should be faster, when there is no baisis for that argument other than you're lazy and seem to have next to no paetince.

 

wait, why am I wasting my time with you. I said nearly the exact same thing last year and it obviosuly never sank in over the last year...

 

There is no NIMBY opposition to the KO 2nd track. LIRR nimby's live in Nassau county and just want to screw over the rest of the island to the west in typical "I got mine" suburban spirit by opposing the 3rd track project. If they could i suspect they'd cut off the tracks past hicksville just to spite them.

Edited November 3, 2012 by kentsfield

[Truckie 374]

Why am I getting Deja vu?

 

oh, that's right, because we had the exact same argument conversation almost exactly a year ago with the exact same person. he then promptly vanished and has now shown up again.

 

 

 

He must have forgotten about that "argument conversation". After all, he's worried about his "life time" and he's only 23 years old. Just another fine example of the I want it now mindset.

[qjtransitmaster 216]

Honestly...is it really so much to ask to travel 50 miles (Ronk-Penn) or 35 miles (Babylon-Penn) in 45 minutes? Now let me be clear...I do NOT commute to NYC for work, so I do not leave at rush hour. I go to the city for my leisure so I can leave when I want to avoid traffic. When I choose when I want to drive in, I make it in 45 minutes almost every time to the Queens border from 40 miles out. This includes minimal traffic. I am 23...in my lifetime is it too much to ask for a 45 minute instead of 80 minute ride from Ronk to Penn?

 

guess what your car made it to queens border train can do it to now please STFU. Move to nassau try that. Tell me what happens at the queens border guess what happens TRAFFIC!!!!! LIE turns into a clusterf**k so bad a local bus moves faster than traffic side by side. Try living in NJ or upstate NY now quiet you whinny beoch. If you want something to complain about why are you not bitching about poor bus intermodal connections and indirect lines. Try actually complaining about something that is actually broken like your bus network!!! If you want slow trust me try NJT you will just run back to LI begging for the LIRR again. Try SEPTA if you want slow ass train service otherwise shut ur trap your being selfish.

[Jamaica Express 27]

Honestly...is it really so much to ask to travel 50 miles (Ronk-Penn) or 35 miles (Babylon-Penn) in 45 minutes? Now let me be clear...I do NOT commute to NYC for work, so I do not leave at rush hour. I go to the city for my leisure so I can leave when I want to avoid traffic. When I choose when I want to drive in, I make it in 45 minutes almost every time to the Queens border from 40 miles out. This includes minimal traffic. I am 23...in my lifetime is it too much to ask for a 45 minute instead of 80 minute ride from Ronk to Penn?

 

 

Well the fact that your requesting such a thing outside of rush hour makes it somewhat infeasible and very uneconomical. Once infrastructural improvements and East Side Access are complete you will probably see slightly quicker service, but nothing near what your asking for. There are plans to add a 3rd track to the Mainline between Floral Park and Hicksville which will allow for more "outer zone" express trains on the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Branches as well as an additional track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma to improve reverse peak service and general operation flexibility. When it comes to the Babylon Line, I know there are plans to electrify the Central Branch (which is the section of track that connects the Mainline to the South Shore between Bethpage and Babylon Stations) this will also allow for additional service from Babylon but nothing that will be around 45 minutes. I'd say with additional tracks and zoned express services you may be able to cut travel time down to an 1hr and 5-10 min and that will most likely be exclusive to Peak Hours when travel is the heaviest (I.E. Train 2013, the 6:24 AM out of Ronkonkoma operates express to New York with only one stop at Hicksville, it arrives at Penn Station at 7:30 AM)...once the additional tracks are built on the inner and outter portions of the Mainline you will most likely see additional services with stopping patterns similar to the one I just mentioned, which is a pretty good run time given the amount of train traffic you have from the other Branches once you reach Hicksville. If you want 45 min train rides, you may be better off relocating somewhere in Nassau County

Edited November 4, 2012 by Jamaica Express

[qjtransitmaster 216]

Well the fact that your requesting such a thing outside of rush hour makes it somewhat infeasible and very uneconomical. Once infrastructural improvements and East Side Access are complete you will probably see slightly quicker service, but nothing near what your asking for. There are plans to add a 3rd track to the Mainline between Floral Park and Hicksville which will allow for more "outer zone" express trains on the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Branches as well as an additional track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma to improve reverse peak service and general operation flexibility. When it comes to the Babylon Line, I know there are plans to electrify the Central Branch (which is the section of track that connects the Mainline to the South Shore between Bethpage and Babylon Stations) this will also allow for additional service from Babylon but nothing that will be around 45 minutes. I'd say with additional tracks and zoned express services you may be able to cut travel time down to an 1hr and 5-10 min and that will most likely be exclusive to Peak Hours when travel is the heaviest (I.E. Train 2013, the 6:24 AM out of Ronkonkoma operates express to New York with only one stop at Hicksville, it arrives at Penn Station at 7:30 AM)...once the additional tracks are built on the inner and outter portions of the Mainline you will most likely see additional services with stopping patterns similar to the one I just mentioned, which is a pretty good run time given the amount of train traffic you have from the other Branches once you reach Hicksville. If you want 45 min train rides, you may be better off relocating somewhere in Nassau County

 

How long will it take to add the 3rd track. Which improvement will bring reverse peak service the 3rd track or 2nd track on the ronkonkoma line alone? Is 2nd track on the Ronkonkoma line all that is needed for reverse peak service?

[Jamaica Express 27]

How long will it take to add the 3rd track. Which improvement will bring reverse peak service the 3rd track or 2nd track on the ronkonkoma line alone? Is 2nd track on the Ronkonkoma line all that is needed for reverse peak service?

 

 

There is no set completion date as to when the 3rd Mainline or 2nd Ronkonkoma Branch tracks will be complete but I'm sure they will be done by the time East Side Access is finished. These additional tracks are ESSENTIAL to support any type of future Mainline service increases to Grand Central Station. The 3rd mainline track will support both reverse peak and peak direction service increases. As of today, both Mainline tracks are occupied in the Peak Direction for 60-90 minutes during AM and PM rush hours to support the volume of train traffic coming from/to NY. In the AM, Track A (the westbound track) is used for Inner Zone Local Service (Stations west of Hicksville) and Track B (the eastbound track) is used for Express trains from the Eastern Branches (Ronk, Port Jeff and Montauk) that are making no stops west of Hicksville (except for maybe Mineola). In the PM, this practice is reversed, Locals on Track A and express trains on Track B. With a 3rd Mainline track, outer zone express service will be able to be sustained longer in addition to frequent reverse peak service. Local Westbound/Eastbound services will be able to use the outer tracks while peak direction Outer Zone express trains can use the middle track uninterrupted.

 

The 2nd track on the Ronkonkoma Branch will be used to simplify operations to close gaps in reverse peak service. There are currently 3 hour gaps in reverse peak service east of Farmingdale during both the AM and PM rush because the line is dedicated to the peak direction, being that it's single track territory there is currently no feasible way to add additional reverse peak service along with the volume of peak direction service that is headed in the opposite direction. Adding a 2nd track between Ronk. and Farmingdale will fix this. In addition the majority of Eastbound Peak trains on the Ronkonkoma Branch utilize Track A between Deer Park and Brentwood (since there are no westbound trains requiring a crossover to Track B). With the 2nd track added, it will no longer be a "passing siding" bi-directional operation, it will be a full eastbound/westbound double track operation. In addition, delayed westbound service will not delay on-time eastbound service or vice-versa as it does today.

Edited November 4, 2012 by Jamaica Express

[TheKorean 9]

Maybe having some sort of EXPRESS service for two busiest lines on LIRR and MN isnt such a shabby idea.

 

Maybe the current infastructure cant support it though.

[qjtransitmaster 216]

Maybe having some sort of EXPRESS service for two busiest lines on LIRR and MN isnt such a shabby idea.

 

Maybe the current infastructure cant support it though.

For NH line ok yes I agree there needs to be a LTD stop service that makes LTD stops in CT at major stations only. KO the infrastructure doesn't permit it actually. KO line only if main line gets 3 or 4 tracks.

[Vistausss 678]

But NH line already has express service I thought?

[Joel Up Front 792]

Too bad the CAVE people along the middle of the island don't want anything. They'd rather have crappy hourly service and bringing entire blocks to a halt for every rush hour train that comes by.

[Truckie 374]

But NH line already has express service I thought?

 

 

It does, as does the Harlem and Hudson Lines.

 

Maybe the current infastructure cant support it though.

 

 

It can't support much more service than there already is.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Truckie

[lilbluefoxie 820]

Honestly...is it really so much to ask to travel 50 miles (Ronk-Penn) or 35 miles (Babylon-Penn) in 45 minutes? Now let me be clear...I do NOT commute to NYC for work, so I do not leave at rush hour. I go to the city for my leisure so I can leave when I want to avoid traffic. When I choose when I want to drive in, I make it in 45 minutes almost every time to the Queens border from 40 miles out. This includes minimal traffic. I am 23...in my lifetime is it too much to ask for a 45 minute instead of 80 minute ride from Ronk to Penn?

 

 

It IS too much to ask, Ronkonkoma has decent ridership but not enough to justify express service like that, only one station gets an 'express' from the Ronkonkoma trains and that's Hicksville, and those take 45 minutes since I use them when I go in to the city on the weekends. Even with the proposed trackage expansions, I highly doubt such an express service in the off peak will ever happen. The most I see happening is half hourly service on the entire Ronkonkoma branch during the off peak (already theres proposals to give Bethpage and Farmingdale half hourly service in next years schedule update) Not even Metro North has such express service from that far out.

 

If you can make such great time while driving, just drive in. Depending on where you go, you can find on street parking and its no toll if you take the 59 St Bridge to get to midtown. Get off at Exit 15 or 16 and drive up towards Queens Plaza.

[Vistausss 678]

As a matter of fact, MNRR does have express service that far out.

[lilbluefoxie 820]

not during the off peak

[qjtransitmaster 216]

not during the off peak

 

on the hudson line YES IT DOES!!!!!!!! However I do believe NH needs more express trains or maybe a cross-honoring agreement with amtrak giving CT residents access to express trains at off peak hours. Realistically you will not pay $60 to go to NYP from NH. However I admit I have gotten an amtrak ticket to hartford from NYP for just $26 one way around the same cost to use MNRR and transfer yes shocking I know. Ronkonkoma line is fast takes 60 mins to reach jamacia from ronkonkoma a far cry from the embarrassing Port Jefferson line which is so slow has no right to even extend. Edited November 18, 2012 by qjtransitmaster