East side access City Terminal Zone

[Cait Sith 9,291]

21 hours ago, shiznit1987 said:

I thought the Ronkonkoma branch was the "favorite son" of the LIRR, seeing as almost all it's trains run express from Penn > Woodside > Jamaica. Babylon trains often are the ones slowing down to make Forest Hills and Kew Gardens. 

At any rate, common sense would say that rather than a total mixup of schedules, that they stick with a simple plan: Babylon, Ronkonkoma, Huntington, Long Beach and Port Wash trains all either serve Penn or GCT. Hemsptead and Far Rock alternate to provide half-hourly service to Brooklyn. Make track 1 @ Jamaica the "Penn Station" track, Track 2 the "Grand Central" track and Track 3 the "Brooklyn" track. 

Not in the slightest, especially since the Babylon branch has several "super" expresses that are just Woodside>Jamaica>Valley Stream(sometimes not)>Freeport & Babylon and more trains running back to back in certain times of the day.

[Lawrence St 1,609]

On 5/7/2022 at 8:34 PM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

If the M7 fleet test on the Oyster Bay Branch ended up succeeding, what I would have considered is to have the West Hempstead and Oyster Bay Branches operate to Atlantic Terminal. Then in between those trains, have shuttle service.

During the peak though, I would retain as much the trips from Atlantic Terminal to the other branches as possible. Not everyone is going to Midtown, and I think serving Atlantic with very little through service would hurt (even with the frequencies). 

M7 fleet test? Oyster Branch? Huh?

[Mtatransit 533]

1 hour ago, Lawrence St said:

M7 fleet test? Oyster Branch? Huh?

MTA is running or at least proposing to convert a couple of M7 into Battery powered trains that could run in what is currently diesel territory

[bobtehpanda 6,115]

On 5/10/2022 at 1:49 PM, shiznit1987 said:

I thought the Ronkonkoma branch was the "favorite son" of the LIRR, seeing as almost all it's trains run express from Penn > Woodside > Jamaica. Babylon trains often are the ones slowing down to make Forest Hills and Kew Gardens. 

At any rate, common sense would say that rather than a total mixup of schedules, that they stick with a simple plan: Babylon, Ronkonkoma, Huntington, Long Beach and Port Wash trains all either serve Penn or GCT. Hemsptead and Far Rock alternate to provide half-hourly service to Brooklyn. Make track 1 @ Jamaica the "Penn Station" track, Track 2 the "Grand Central" track and Track 3 the "Brooklyn" track. 

I mean, the service plans published years ago were really not all that complicated. every train alternates between Penn and GCT.

Part of the whole Jamaica area reworking was to eliminate the possibility of Change At Jamaica being a thing that needed to be done for non-Brooklyn customers. I get the sense that they didn't like how having to hold for connections impacted things like OTP.

[Snowblock 3,503]

I already laid out the plans (based on a draft of the October 2022  timetable I've looked at) in another thread, but just to repeat:

Brooklyn-Jamaica shuttles every 20 minutes all day. One of those per hour continues on to/from West Hempstead. Yes, that includes St Albans but not Valley Stream.

Trains that currently go to Brooklyn (Far Rock, Hempstead, some Long Beach) will all go to Grand Central. Lines that exclusively serve Penn will have service split between Penn and Grand Central. Port Washington line, for example, will have 2 trains an hour, one to Penn and one to GC. M3's and C3's CAN NOT run to Grand Central due to signal and clearance issues, so don't expect any changes on the diesel-electric runs.

There is now enough service being provided at Jamaica/Woodside that scheduled connections are a thing of the past. Wait at the station for a couple minutes and you'll get the destination you want.

[trainfan22 2,157]

^^^ I had a feeling they would just send Hempstead/Far Rock trains to Grand Central but now I see its confirmed.

 

West Hempstead getting an upgrade from an shuttle to an all day Brooklyn line is really interesting as I thought Brooklyn wouldn't have no thru service to LI anymore once ESA access opened. Happy to see at least SOME thru service to LI will be kept.

 

I wonder if they will take out some of the tracks at Flatbush Ave since I doubt all 5 or 6 tracks at Flatbush would be needed since those Babylon/Main Line rush hour specials from Brooklyn would most likely be cut.

Edited May 13, 2022 by trainfan22

[checkmatechamp13 2,465]

The LIRR terminal will be called Grand Central Madison: https://new.mta.info/grandcentralmadison

Exact schedules to be released sometime later this week. Hopefully they keep their promise and have all the benefits listed (particularly the even spacing of trains). 

[Snowblock 3,503]

Drafts are online for the public now - https://new.mta.info/agency/long-island-rail-road/lirr-to-grand-central/schedules

[checkmatechamp13 2,465]

There is also a link on that page to submit public comments. 

The one thing I can see offhand is that while there are decent service levels and increases on the main branches, there are minimal increases to the diesel branches, which will exacerbate the current situation of people driving from diesel territory into electric territory for a train. 

[B35 via Church 10,302]

On 6/1/2022 at 6:43 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

The LIRR terminal will be called Grand Central Madison: https://new.mta.info/grandcentralmadison

Being different for the sake of being different.

On 6/4/2022 at 11:36 AM, checkmatechamp13 said:

The one thing I can see offhand is that while there are decent service levels and increases on the main branches, there are minimal increases to the diesel branches, which will exacerbate the current situation of people driving from diesel territory into electric territory for a train. 

I'm surprised there are any increases to service past electrified territory....

At some point, I can see another multi-level parking garage being built around LIRR Ronkonkoma.... Although it does squat for Suffolk residents, they already propped up a new one for LIRR Westbury & another one at LIRR Mineola for Nassau residents.... I shudder to think what peak hour traffic is like along Mineola Blvd now...  But yeah, multi-level parking garages are the new wave... Not like there's much of a choice, but still....

[bobtehpanda 6,115]

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

I'm surprised there are any increases to service past electrified territory....

Honestly, I doubt in practice there will actually be increases in diesel territory. There are barely enough trains to run the current level of service, even when they're all working.

[IAlam 291]

Watching all the people complaining about the proposed schedule for the express trains on the Port Washington Branch tonight yet they actively opposed improvements in the past that would allow for more service. Maybe finally the community will allow for improvements north of Great Neck.

But on a side note the PW branch needed a double track line all since yesterday. It amazes me how nothing has been done about it for this long.

Also with the hourly service on each Manhattan Terminal off peak it's basically useless for me to wait for the LIRR unless a train is about to leave in the next 20 min.

[Gotham Bus Co. 796]

On 7/13/2022 at 7:44 PM, IAlam said:

Watching all the people complaining about the proposed schedule for the express trains on the Port Washington Branch tonight yet they actively opposed improvements in the past that would allow for more service. Maybe finally the community will allow for improvements north of Great Neck.

The NIMBYs probably weren't train riders, yet they still managed to ruin it for everyone.

[roadster991 0]

ATL terminal stations will have only Jamaica as a via

Penn and other zone 1 will use Jamaica or Woodside

 

[mfs NJT459 179]

Looking at the draft schedules and trip planner, between GCM and Woodside on weekends… departure times are :05 :16 :35 per hour from Woodside to GCM, and :44 :51 :59 per hour from GCM to Woodside.  Should the  need to shutdown between Queensboro Plaza and 34th-Hudson, I’m sure all LIRR GCM trips will make the extra stop at Woodside to accommodate the subway riders

[BM5 via Woodhaven 5,465]

It is now anticipated that there will be limited shuttle service between Jamaica and Grand Central before the end of the year, before a full roll out of service. That is, if everything goes well. I guess we'll have to wait and see, although there isn't much time left if that's the goal. 

https://www.newsday.com/amp/long-island/transportation/lirr-east-side-access-vgcvbq8m

Edited December 19, 2022 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[Gotham Bus Co. 796]

19 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

It is now anticipated that there will be limited shuttle service between Jamaica and Grand Central before the end of the year, before a full roll out of service. That is, if everything goes well. I guess we'll have to wait and see, although there isn't much time left if that's the goal. 

https://www.newsday.com/amp/long-island/transportation/lirr-east-side-access-vgcvbq8m

So that was the plan all along? A hugely expensive terminal for a shuttle?

[Lex 1,186]

14 minutes ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

So that was the plan all along? A hugely expensive terminal for a shuttle?

Did you read past the comma?

[trainfan22 2,157]

They also did an soft opening for the electrification extension to Ronkonkoma in the 80s, three trains in the AM and three trains in the PM, full service was added later on. IDK the back story as to why they did it that way.

 

 

I think they only doing this shuttle service opening just to say the station opened in 2022  Politicians really wanted to meet this 2022 opening for ESA. Measly shuttle service to open such an major service expansion is just so underwhelming.  Part of me wanted them to push back the opening so the terminal can get full service right out the gate, however the other part of me can't wait to ride an train to GCM!

Edited December 20, 2022 by trainfan22

[xD4nn 16]

On 5/10/2022 at 5:03 PM, Gotham Bus Co. said:

What about West Hempstead? And isn't Brooklyn supposed to get 20-minute service? Maybe add West Hempstead to the Brooklyn rotation. 

West Hempstead does not have any ridership. You're running empty trains for no reason and its just taking up slots.

Edited January 8 by xD4nn

[Gotham Bus Co. 796]

25 minutes ago, xD4nn said:

West Hempstead does not have any ridership. You're running empty trains for no reason and its just taking up slots.

Let me guess... Folks along the West Hempstead branch have loud politicians to make sure the trains that they don't use keep running anyway.

[xD4nn 16]

On 1/8/2023 at 2:11 PM, Gotham Bus Co. said:

Let me guess... Folks along the West Hempstead branch have loud politicians to make sure the trains that they don't use keep running anyway.

If the politicians didn't exist, the LIRR would have long abandoned West Hemp.

Edited January 9 by xD4nn

[mfs NJT459 179]

Rumors are, the opening date is MLK Day Jan 16... tomorrow LIRR will run simulated Grand Central Direct trains between Jamaica and GCM, trains will stop but doors will not open.

https://railroad.net/the-east-side-access-project-discussion-esa-t69427-1080.html#p1613361

[N6 Limited 1,125]

Grand Central Madison Press Conference regarding full service on 2/27/2023.

https://www.youtube.com/live/wklhhuvWbKI