The Long Island Rail Road today announced that crews working on the LIRR Expansion Project will replace the 66-year-old bridge that carries the Main Line over Cherry Lane in Carle Place. The work will result in a 48-hour suspension of train service between Mineola and Hicksville on the weekend of June 1-2.
Crews have assembled a new bridge at Cherry Lane in Carle Place, at the western end of the Carle Place station. On the weekend of June 1-2, workers will cut away the existing bridge and move a new bridge into place, using a technique that was recently used less than a mile east in October 2017 when the railroad replaced the Post Avenue Bridge in Westbury.
The new bridge at Cherry Lane will be wider, with a third bay to support the Main Line’s future third track. It is expected to improve train service by reducing the potential for the bridge to be struck by overheight trucks, incidents that temporarily cause trains to operate at slow speeds. The new bridge will have a height of 14 feet, an increase of one foot, two inches over the current height of 12 feet, 10 inches.
More information about the replacement of the Cherry Lane bridge can be found at the website of A Modern L.I.: http://www.amodernli.com/project/cherry-lane-bridge-replacement/
As a result of the project, there will be no train service between Mineola and Hicksville on June 1-2. Special timetables will be available via MTA.info, and train service information will be available via the MYmta app, myLIRR.org, and LIRR Train Time.
The LIRR is adding express trains between Babylon and New York City to help customers travel. Elsewhere, trains will operate at normal service intervals, but on adjusted schedules, on the Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Long Beach, Montauk, Port Washington and West Hempstead Branches, and between Ronkonkoma and Greenport. Main Line trains will operate hourly between Mineola and Penn Station, with stops at Merillon Avenue, New Hyde Park and Jamaica. Trains will operate between Oyster Bay and Jamaica every two hours.
Customers Seeking Travel from Carle Place or Westbury
The Carle Place and Westbury stations will be closed, and customers of those stations will be encouraged to consider traveling via the Hempstead Branch, Mineola, or other branches.
At Mineola, parking is free on the weekend, and the station is served by the N22 and N24 NICE Bus routes. Hempstead Branch stations, which also offer free weekend parking, are nearby. Hempstead is served by the N27, N48, N49, N70, N71, N72 bus routes. Weekend parking is also free on the Babylon Branch and West Hempstead Branch, and the N40, N41 and N43 routes serve Freeport, while the N80 serves Massapequa and Massapequa Park.
Port Jefferson Branch and Ronkonkoma Branch
Travel between New York City and stations east of Hicksville will be possible via shuttle trains operating via Babylon. Customers should anticipate an additional 56 minutes of travel time and are encouraged to consider traveling via the Babylon Branch or Montauk Branch, where parking at all stations is free on the weekend.
Port Jefferson Branch and Ronkonkoma Branch trains will operate to/from Hicksville, where customers will be able to connect to a shuttle train to Babylon, then connect to special express service between Babylon and Penn Station. These trains will make limited stops between Babylon and Penn Station. Customers can connect at Jamaica for service to Brooklyn.
Customers can also consider Suffolk County Transit bus routes to reach the Babylon, Bay Shore, Islip, Great River, Sayville, Patchogue, or Bellport LIRR stations.
Further Work
The railroad expects that similar weekend train service changes will be required in late July, when crews install a new bridge in Westbury to replace the previous at-grade crossing at Urban Avenue, and in late August when crews install a new bridge in New Hyde Park to replace the previous at-grade crossing at Covert Avenue.
Many Channels for Services Updates
Information about the service changes noted in this press release and all planned service changes is available through the LIRR’s real-time service information sources:
myLIRR.org– Customers can see real-time positions of upcoming trains in real time, on a smartphone-optimized map that refreshes every 3- to 5-seconds, by logging into myLIRR.org.
MYmta app – Customers who use the new, comprehensive MYmta app will see real-time travel information for LIRR and connecting services all in one place. As a caution, trains that start out their trips on time may experience delays en route. The LIRR Train Time app also remains available for customers to access LIRR train information.
Email and text message service updates – Customers are urged to sign up to receive the alerts by visiting MyMTAAlerts.com. To avoid unwanted messages, a user can tailor the messages to the specific branch, and the specific times of day.
MTA.info– “Service Status” on the homepage of new.mta.info, and at the left side of www.MTA.info is always the definitive source for the latest status for each branch, updated every minute. In addition, customers can visit www.mta.info/lirr to see special service notices in the upper center of the page.
@LIRR on Twitter – Twitter users can follow @LIRR to receive updates of a similar nature to the email and text alerts, shortened to fit Twitter’s format.
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.
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