Long Island Rail Road workers will renew the railroad crossing at Franklin Avenue in Malverne from April 3-7. The work will include a rehabilitation of the concrete railroad crossing surface, as well as the train tracks, which includes the steel rails and concrete ties at the crossing and adjacent to it, and the compacted stone bedding the ties rest in, which is known as ballast.

 

“We are continuously working to improve our infrastructure,” said LIRR President Patrick Nowakowksi. “This work will leave the community and the railroad with a safer crossing for the years ahead.”

 

As a result of the work, buses will substitute for seven midday trains on the LIRR’s West Hempstead Branch, affecting an estimated 230 customers in total.  Motorists will be detoured from the railroad crossing between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

 

A schedule showing the substitute bus service departure times is available at this link:

 

 

Buses will substitute for the four eastbound trains that are scheduled to depart from Valley Stream at 10:46 a.m., 12:46 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 3:34 p.m. To ensure that all customers can board and be seated, buses are scheduled to depart from Valley Stream six minutes later than the normal train departure times. Customers should plan for up to an additional 18 minutes of travel time.

 

 

Buses will substitute for the three westbound trains that are normally scheduled to depart from West Hempstead at 10:12 a.m., 12:12 p.m. and 2:12 p.m. As shown in the timetable, the buses are scheduled to depart individual West Hempstead Branch stations up to 19 minutes later than the normal train departure times.

 

Buses will connect with Far Rockaway Branch trains that depart Valley Stream about 20 minutes later than the usual Long Beach Branch train connections. The Far Rockaway Branch trains will travel to Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn. Customers seeking to travel to Penn Station will change at Jamaica. Customers should factor in up to 24 extra minutes of travel time.

 

 

Work at the railroad crossing will be underway from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during these five days. Motorists will be required to make an eight-tenths-of-a-mile detour via Hempstead Avenue and Alnwick Road. The MTA Police will provide the required flagmen and detour signs.

 

Upon completion of the railroad crossing renewal at Franklin Avenue each afternoon, workers will put down temporary paving material. The crossing will be permanently repaved at a later date.

 

 

In accordance with usual procedures when there is a planned service disruption, the LIRR is printing posters and issuing social media messaging to advise customers of the change, and has left 100,000 fliers on train seats. The service change was mentioned in the March issue of TrainTalk. The LIRR has notified all elected officials representing the area, and is coordinating with local police, fire, and the NYS Department of Transportation.

 

Information about planned service changes like this one is always made available via many methods:

 

 

The above communications channels can be accessed while at home or on the go. For customers who are located at stations, the LIRR will post the latest service updates on digital signs at station platforms and will make audio announcements over public address systems, and on-board announcements made by train crews.

 

For those who prefer the telephone, information is available from the LIRR’s Customer Service Center by calling 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and saying: “Long Island Rail Road.” Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the LIRR at 511.