MTA LIRR Announces $40 Million Facelift for Massapequa Station

[User]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnUW3Jc7z0I

 

http://new.mta.info/mta-lirr-announces-40-million-facelift-massapequa-station

 

Work Starting on Platform Modernization & Installation of Pocket Track East of the Station that Will Allow the Railroad to Increase Service on the Babylon Branch

 

MTA Long Island Rail Road President Helena E. Williams was joined by State Senator Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick) and other local officials today to mark the beginning of a $40 million construction project to modernize the LIRR’s Massapequa Station.

  

Over the next two years, the LIRR will replace the station platform, canopy, staircases, elevator and escalator as well as the platform waiting room, lighting, public address system and signage. The Railroad is also starting work on the installation of a pocket track just east of the station that will improve train service and frequency as well as on-board seat availability.

 

The project represents the biggest improvement effort at Massapequa Station since the station was raised from street level in 1953. The LIRR will carry out the work in three phases arranged to ensure that train service continues uninterrupted throughout the project, though some schedule changes may be necessary at times.

 

"This station rehabilitation project is part of the MTA's ongoing commitment to Long Island and will benefit thousands of customers along the South Shore who depend each day on the LIRR to get them to work,” said Thomas Prendergast, MTA Interim Executive Director. “Governor Cuomo has made clear that New York needs to support projects like this, which will create construction jobs and help the local economy across Long Island."

 

“Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s commitment to the MTA, the LIRR can continue its modernization effort across Long Island with the Massapequa Station Rehabilitation Project,” President Williams said. “The Babylon branch is our busiest line and we are investing in these improvements to better serve our customers.”

 

Sen. Fuschillo, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said: "This project is a $40 million investment in the Massapequa community. Improvements such as a new platform, platform waiting room, escalator and elevator will tremendously enhance the quality of life for the many commuters who use the Massapequa station each day. I am pleased that we worked together with LIRR to secure funding for this much needed rehabilitation project.”

 

Williams and Fuschillo were joined at the event by State Senator Kemp Hannon (R-C-I-Garden City), Assemblyman Joseph Saladino (R- Massapequa), Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt (R-East Meadow) and Nassau County Legislator Michael Venditti (R-Massapequa). The funding for the project is included in the MTA’s Capital program, which is approved by Gov. Cuomo and state legislative leaders.

 

Also in attendance was Barney Fortunato, president of Fortunato Sons Contracting, Inc., the Long Island-based builder and prime contractor on the station portion of the project. Fortunato Sons is a fourth generation family enterprise that has completed over $50 million worth of construction directly for the Long Island Rail Road during the past two decades, most recently the Babylon Train Wash project. Fortunato said the Massapequa Station Rehabilitation Project will create between 50 to 100 construction-related jobs. 

 

When completed in 2015, the finished project also will feature a permanent work of art under the MTA’s Arts for Transit program.

 

Additional Infrastructure Improvements Are Coming

The station renovations are part of a mult-phase initiative to improve infrastructure and train service in Massapequa, a station that serves approximately 6,000 customers every weekday. Recently, the LIRR completed the repainting of the Broadway Bridge at the west end of the station. The Railroad will also be adding a pocket track just east of Massapequa Station to will help improve train service and frequency as well as on-board seat availability.

 

The pocket track is one of several infrastructure improvements the LIRR is making in anticipation of the completion of the East Side Access project, which will enable Long Islanders to travel directly to Grand Central Terminal and the East Side of Manhattan for the first time beginning in 2019. The extra track space will begin paying immediate dividends when it becomes available in 2016, providing the LIRR with great operating flexibility along the Babylon Branch.

 

Following the opening of East Side Access service, the pocket track will allow the LIRR to turn trains for return trips to Penn and Grand Central Terminal without traveling out to Babylon. First stop Massapequa! East Side Access promises to be a transformational event in the history of transportation on Long Island, saving up to 40 minutes a day for Long Islanders who commute to the East Side.

 

“The strategic direction of the LIRR is to initiate actions and projects which will that benefit today's commuter while at the same time continue with our planned long term projects to improve efficiency and effectiveness, modernize the system and improve capacity,” said Williams. “The improvements at Massapequa Station are a key component of that plan.”

 

Demolition work will start soon and, at times, customers will need to board at the front end or back end of the train, and certain station access points will be closed, as areas of the platform at zoned-off for construction.

 

“Our goal is to complete the project with the least amount of inconvenience to our riders,” said Williams. “We are cooperating with the Town of Oyster Bay and we will be updating the community through our website, station posters and flyers as work progresses. We ask for the public’s patience and understanding as we move forward.”

 

Massapequa Station Construction Schedule

 

Phase 1A: Spring 2013-Winter 2014

• Closure of the western portion of the platform.
• Closure of the western Broadway stairway, pedestrian overpass and eastern Broadway stairway.
• Closure of the platform waiting room.
• Installation of temporary waiting room east of the elevator.
• Escalator removed and temporary stairs installed.

Phase 1B- Winter 2013-Summer 2014

• Closure of the remaining western half of platform.
• Elevator is closed.
• Closure of stairway in west underpass.

Phase 2: Summer 2014-Summer 2015

• Open rebuilt western half of platform and new waiting room.
• Open new elevator.
• Close eastern half of platform and east underpass.

Massapequa Station Pocket Track Construction Schedule

 

Phase 1: May-June 2013

• Bridge Delivery & Installation

Phase 2: April 2014 – March 2016

• Track Level Work for Pocket Track

 

For More Information

Customers or members of the community with questions about the work at Massapequa Station should pick up a Massapequa Station Platform Rehabilitation Project brochure or visit the Long Island Rail Road’s website at www.mta.info/lirr and click on FAQs/Contact Us at the upper left hand corner of the screen. The LIRR can also be reached by calling the 511, the New York State Transportation Information Number and saying: Long Island Rail Road when prompted.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The LIRR needs new trains while they're at it too... Compared to MetroNorth stations and trains, LIRR's stations and trains look completely ghetto and outdated. 

[LIRR 154]

The LIRR needs new trains while they're at it too... Compared to MetroNorth stations and trains, LIRR's stations and trains look completely ghetto and outdated.

 

Dude news flash our trains are older and we run 24/7..

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Dude news flash our trains are older and we run 24/7..

News flash nothing... MetroNorth has more ridership than the LIRR with 1.3 million more riders annually (see: http://new.mta.info/ridership-records-lirr-metro-north) and our stations and trains are far cleaner.  Are you seriously telling me that because we shut down our stations for maybe 3 hours tops that this allows for our trains and stations to be so much cleaner?   It's either one or two things... Long Island has a serious ghetto element AND/OR the LIRR doesn't invest in their trains and stations the way that MNRR does, which is pretty pathetic because the LIRR fares are beyond ridiculous.  With what they charge the stations should be made out of gold.

[lirr42]

Let's hope the new station turns out nicer than the current one is, it's really a mess now.  Seaford Station turned out real well, hopefully Massapequa turns out just as well.

 

It will also be interesting to see how the LIRR takes advantage of that new pocket track going in, too.

 

(PS: on my LIRR site I have posts about the station platform replacement and the pocket track for more information)

[trainfan22]

Dude news flash our trains are older and we run 24/7..

Y'all trains can't be that much older than the MN 3/7s. But I do think the 24/7 thing is a factor, its noticeable on the subway, the cars on the are much cleaner than the ones on the , etc.

 

News flash nothing... MetroNorth has more ridership than the LIRR with 1.3 million more riders annually (see: http://new.mta.info/ridership-records-lirr-metro-north) and our stations and trains are far cleaner.  Are you seriously telling me that because we shut down our stations for maybe 3 hours tops that this allows for our trains and stations to be so much cleaner?   It's either one or two things... Long Island has a serious ghetto element AND/OR the LIRR doesn't invest in their trains and stations the way that MNRR does, which is pretty pathetic because the LIRR fares are beyond ridiculous.  With what they charge the stations should be made out of gold.

 Long Island does NOT have a serious ghetto element, that's not anywhere close to being true. Of course there's some hoods in LI, but most of it is just regular old suburbs.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Long Island does NOT have a serious ghetto element, that's not anywhere close to being true. Of course there's some hoods in LI, but most of it is just regular old suburbs.

LOL... Well from what I've seen riding the LIRR, sometimes I wonder.  It isn't serious per se but it certainly is there.

[LIRR 154]

News flash nothing... MetroNorth has more ridership than the LIRR with 1.3 million more riders annually (see: http://new.mta.info/ridership-records-lirr-metro-north) and our stations and trains are far cleaner.  Are you seriously telling me that because we shut down our stations for maybe 3 hours tops that this allows for our trains and stations to be so much cleaner?   It's either one or two things... Long Island has a serious ghetto element AND/OR the LIRR doesn't invest in their trains and stations the way that MNRR does, which is pretty pathetic because the LIRR fares are beyond ridiculous.  With what they charge the stations should be made out of gold.

It's not that hard to figure out. 24/7 ,more branches equals more stations and that equals more trains. Not all stations are going to look like gold because of usage,age and location.If you think they are cleaner then hey that's your opinion. Some people might think other wise. As far as ghetto element ,there was no need for that as I grew up in the inner city and was born in the Bronx. I have traveled on MNRR before and just don't see the major difference as you see it. Other then Penn and Grand Central but other then that what is the difference?

 

Y'all trains can't be that much older than the MN 3/7s. But I do think the 24/7 thing is a factor, its noticeable on the subway, the cars on the are much cleaner than the ones on the , etc.

 

 

 Long Island does NOT have a serious ghetto element, that's not anywhere close to being true. Of course there's some hoods in LI, but most of it is just regular old suburbs.

The work load on the equipment do make them wear out.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It's not that hard to figure out. 24/7 ,more branches equals more stations and that equals more trains. Not all stations are going to look like gold because of usage,age and location.If you think they are cleaner then hey that's your opinion. Some people might think other wise. As far as ghetto element ,there was no need for that as I grew up in the inner city and was born in the Bronx. I have traveled on MNRR before and just don't see the major difference as you see it. Other then Penn and Grand Central but other then that what is the difference?

lol... Maybe because it's true? Is that why?    Listen I'm aware that there are some nice parts of Long Island, but I have seen the ghetto types riding along with some pretty crappy looking stations.  Let's not sit here and act like those things are figments of my imagination because I travel to Long Island to visit clients and also for networking dinners.

[Phantom909]

id like them to explain why the hell does it take 23 months to lay down a pocket track. the 1,907 mile transcontinental railroad, was built in 6 years by hand, at that pace the pocket track should be 635.67 miles long. anybody want to try and explain that one

 

joe

[Minato ku]

We no longer have the same construction standards. 

The security was not a priority.

[bobtehpanda]

id like them to explain why the hell does it take 23 months to lay down a pocket track. the 1,907 mile transcontinental railroad, was built in 6 years by hand, at that pace the pocket track should be 635.67 miles long. anybody want to try and explain that one

 

joe

 

The transcontinental railroad was built through the lands of Native Americans, and the railway companies didn't really care. (For a while, though, a train ride through the prairie was dangerous because Native Americans would attack trains.)

 

The pocket track is being built through wealthy suburbs that fund a good deal of political activity.

 

Minato ku is also right, in that thousands died during the construction of the transcontinental railroad, so that's not a good thing to compare it to.

[N4 Via Merrick Rd]

As far as I'm concerned LIRR gets 81-84 million riders a year.

[Phantom909]

We no longer have the same construction standards. 

The security was not a priority.

 

 

The transcontinental railroad was built through the lands of Native Americans, and the railway companies didn't really care. (For a while, though, a train ride through the prairie was dangerous because Native Americans would attack trains.)

 

The pocket track is being built through wealthy suburbs that fund a good deal of political activity.

 

Minato ku is also right, in that thousands died during the construction of the transcontinental railroad, so that's not a good thing to compare it to.

 

 

my point was how the mta wastes money like crazy, the distance between massapequa and massapequa park is 0.8 miles, the 2 tracks in service now are wide enough for the pocket track to be placed between them without altering either. at the most, the construction would be 6 total switches, one "Y" switch on each end of the pocket and 2 each on tracks 1 and 2, with a pocket track which basically could not be more than 3500 feet long. my point is that 23 months of paying employees and contractors for that little amount of work sounds typical mta`ish with their history of squandering our money

 

joe

[qjtransitmaster]

my point was how the mta wastes money like crazy, the distance between massapequa and massapequa park is 0.8 miles, the 2 tracks in service now are wide enough for the pocket track to be placed between them without altering either. at the most, the construction would be 6 total switches, one "Y" switch on each end of the pocket and 2 each on tracks 1 and 2, with a pocket track which basically could not be more than 3500 feet long. my point is that 23 months of paying employees and contractors for that little amount of work sounds typical mta`ish with their history of squandering our money

 

joe

Bingo MTA doesn't do things that make sense which is one of the reasons why the LIRR has very high operating costs. I have been able to walk between massepeaqua and massepeaqua park.

[Vistausss]

Actually, it seems to be a trend. In more and more countries simple things tend to be built slower then way back when.

[Joel Up Front]

lol... Maybe because it's true? Is that why?    Listen I'm aware that there are some nice parts of Long Island, but I have seen the ghetto types riding along with some pretty crappy looking stations.  Let's not sit here and act like those things are figments of my imagination because I travel to Long Island to visit clients and also for networking dinners.

 

Look, VG8 is bragging about being an express bus rider again and putting anyone who isn't rich people from "the ghetto" down.  In other news, fire is hot.

[Vistausss]

Look, VG8 is bragging about being an express bus rider again and putting anyone who isn't rich people from "the ghetto" down.  In other news, fire is hot.

 

Indeed. Even the non-rich are nice most of the time. Sure there are asses but hey, there are rich asses too. Anyway, this topic is not a d*ck measuring contest, this is about the renovation of a station that is in need of a renovation.

[lirr42]

Here are some photos of Massapequa over the weekend right before work started:
 





And flags down the middle of the ROW where it appears the new pocket track would go:

[Phantom909]

ok heres another joke, $185 million to build san 800 foot casement at the west side yards that will take 2 years, are you shitting me

 

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10951912/ny-185m-for-new-rail-tunnel-connecting-penn-station-to-nj

 

joe

[lirr42]

ok heres another joke, $185 million to build san 800 foot casement at the west side yards that will take 2 years, are you shitting me

 

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10951912/ny-185m-for-new-rail-tunnel-connecting-penn-station-to-nj

 

joe

 

And the LIRR can't use the maintenance facility at WSY that's on top of where they want to build the box for two years to boot

[LIRR 154]

ok heres another joke, $185 million to build san 800 foot casement at the west side yards that will take 2 years, are you shitting me

 

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10951912/ny-185m-for-new-rail-tunnel-connecting-penn-station-to-nj

 

joe

Two different projects with nothing in common. This is more for Amtrak and the casement is needed before the Hudson Yard project can start. You may stop defecating now..Lol

[Phantom909]

Two different projects with nothing in common. This is more for Amtrak and the casement is needed before the Hudson Yard project can start. You may stop defecating now..Lol

 

 

my point is not if its needed, my point is the excessive cost to build it. $185,000,000 for an 800 foot long concrete box comes to $231,250 a foot, that my friend is just another example of the government waste of our money, get it now?

 

joe

[LIRR 154]

my point is not if its needed, my point is the excessive cost to build it. $185,000,000 for an 800 foot long concrete box comes to $231,250 a foot, that my friend is just another example of the government waste of our money, get it now?

 

joe

 

I agree that the government does waste money. But when the government uses its funds to update and buildup aging infrastructures such as the tunnels to Jersey and the start to the modernization of Penn . Then I don't really see it as a waste .Is 185 million kind of steep , yeah it is but you know as well as I know high prices goes with this territory. What can you do? NYC is expensive.

[Phantom909]

I agree that the government does waste money. But when the government uses its funds to update and buildup aging infrastructures such as the tunnels to Jersey and the start to the modernization of Penn . Then I don't really see it as a waste .Is 185 million kind of steep , yeah it is but you know as well as I know high prices goes with this territory. What can you do? NYC is expensive.

 

what you can do is vote out idealogues like schmuck schumer who doesnt give 2 craps about the people of ny state, all he cares about is bribing unions, with our money so he can get re elected.

 

and why is this money coming out of the hurricane sandy relief fund, i have friends who live in long beach and staten island who havent gotten a dime yet from that fund. and what about the wonderful obama $793 billion dollar stimulus that was supposed to be for infrastructure to get people back to work, according to their own website,

 

http://www.recovery.gov/Transparency/RecoveryData/Pages/RecipientReportedDataMap.aspx?stateCode=NY&PROJSTATUS=NPC&AWARDTYPE=CGL

 

 

new york state has received $17,096,436,292 in stimulus funds. $3.1 billion went for transportation and $1.6 billion went for infrastructure. have you seen $4.7 billion in improvements in transportation or infrastructure? .i havent. but if you look closer of the $17 billion new york got only $1.2 billion was for contracts which only $257.3 million has been paid. $15.6 billion was awarded as grants of which $13.3 billion has been paid out, this money has gone basically to unions to bribe them into voting for them

 

we are $16.8 trillion in debt and $120 trillion in the red for unfunded liabilities like social secuurity, medicare and prescription drugs, when does it end?

 

joe