THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014
HENRY MELCHER
(Courtesy Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin)
The MTA has released a new batch of images of the under-construction tunnels for its “East Side Access” project. For the uninitiated, East Side Access is the agency’s $10.8 billion plan to connect the Long Island Railroad with Grand Central Terminal. The project was initially scheduled to be completed by 2009, but, like so many large infrastructure projects, the East Side Access has been delayed. The project is now scheduled to open in 2023. All told, the project is expected to be $6.5 billion over budget.
That was where things stood as of January. Just a few months later, though, there was more bad news for East Side Access. Newsday reported that 11 sinkholes were discovered by the MTA as it was digging in Long Island City. The holes, which seem to be caused by heavy rain and loose soil, apparently didn’t mess things up too much, however. A spokesperson for the MTA told Newsday that filling the sinkholes did not have a “measurable” impact on the project’s budget or timeline. That’s the good news. The bad news is that more sinkholes could form. In the meantime, construction is moving forward deep underneath New York City. Check out the MTA’s latest photos of the project’s Manhattan tunnels taken on July 29th.
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(Courtesy Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin)
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More photos Queens side:
August 7 2014
Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
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And the emerging mini-metropolis above…
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Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) presented the check Saturday after federal officials allocated the funds in 2007.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1955565.1411881137!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/eastside28n-1-web.jpg?enlarged
BY CORINNE LESTCH, Sunday, September 28, 2014, 1:19 AM
The first major expansion of the Long Island Rail Road got a $203 million infusion Saturday thanks to Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) presented the check for the East Side Access Project after federal officials allocated the funds in 2007.
The ongoing work will create a stop at Grand Central Terminal to help take the weight off the LIRR’s hub at Penn Station.
The money does not help fill a $15.2 billion gap in the MTA’s 2015-19 capital program.
BY DANIELLE SCHLANGER 10/09 6:00AM
East Side Access
Groundbreaking Date: October 2002
Estimated Completion Date at Groundbreaking: 2009
Estimated Completion Date Today: December 2022
Brief Synopsis of the Project: As previously reported by Commercial Observer, East Side Access will transport Long Island Railroad commuters from Queens’ new Sunnyside Yards station to Grand Central Terminal, cutting daily train riders’ trips by an average of 40 minutes.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, some hoped to expedite the construction of East Side Access, which will ultimately connect Long Island Railroad commuters to Grand Central Terminal.
”The incident of Sept. 11 shows the importance of East Side Access to a greater degree,” said Kenneth J. Bauer, then the president of the Long Island Railroad, in a 2001 New York Times interview. ”If something happened at the East River tunnel, you wouldn’t be able to run trains to Penn Station.”
Yet major construction did not begin until 2006 and today, the project is over a decade delayed and far more expensive than previously estimated. When proposed in 1999, East Side Access cost an estimated $4.3 billion. Today, the estimated cost hovers around $10.177 billion, according to the MTA.
2-Year project Is key component of LIRR’s East Side Access Readiness Plan.
By Long Island News & PRs I Published: October 28 2014
Great Neck, NY - October 28, 2014 - The Long Island Committee of the MTA Board today approved an initial $24.9 million contract for the extension of a pocket track east of the Long Island Rail Road’s Great Neck Station and the replacement of the 115-year- old Colonial Road Bridge, a three-year project and key component of the LIRR’s East Side Access Readiness Plan.
The contract now goes to the full MTA Board which is scheduled to take up the matter at its meeting on Wednesday. The project is scheduled for completion in 2017 with the pocket track to cost an estimated $25.2 million and the new bridge $19.9 million for a total estimated cost of $45.1 million. The balance of the budget represents the cost of work that will be done by LIRR employees in the construction of the pocket track including utility relocation and power, signal, and switch installation.
The LIRR is asking the MTA Board to award the contract to Railroad Construction Company, Inc. of Paterson, N.J., following a competitive process in which six firms submitted bids in response to a request for proposals issued in January. LIRR officials said Railroad Construction Company, a firm that has served rail industry since 1926, offered the best technical plan and the lowest price.
“These infrastructure improvements will enable the LIRR to provide safe and reliable service on the Port Washington Branch for many years to come and give us the operational flexibility to provide better train service, especially when the East Side Access project is complete,” said LIRR President Patrick A. Nowakowski.
East Side Access Winning Photo by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Access Winning Photo
Cover of Engineering News Record featuring winning photo of East Side Access Project by Rehema Trimiew. Taking pictures on MTA’s $10.1-billion East Side Access project, Trimiew says she was struck by the “kind of weird, surreal environment” in a tunnel. The project official pictured “looks like he’s walking off into an unknown yellow wonderland,” she says. Photo: MTA Capital Construction / Rehema Trimiew
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East Side Acccess Update: January 29, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Acccess Update: January 29, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Acccess Update: January 29, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Acccess Update: January 29, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Acccess Update: January 29, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Acccess Update: January 29, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Acccess Update: January 29, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
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By Kelly Weill on March 23, 2015
…According to the report, the East Side Access project is on schedule for its December 2022 revenue service date, but conflicts between M.T.A. and Amtrak management might result in future delays.
“Amtrak has not provided the agreed-upon level of protection and production resources required by ESA to meet its schedule,” a lapse that “has the potential to delay revenue service,” C.P.O.C. officials said.
East Side Access Update: March 30, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Access Update: March 30, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Access Update: March 30, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Access Update: March 30, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
East Side Access Update: March 30, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
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April 27th, 2015
Ridership is on the rise for the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, according to 2014 MTA ridership figures. This makes the two commuter railroads respectively the busiest and second-busiest passenger railroads in the country.
Both railroads saw their strongest growth during non-rush hours, on non-Manhattan commutes and for non-work trips, as customers increasingly rely on the railroads for transportation outside of traditional Manhattan commutes. This increased non-peak ridership, which mirrors trends seen on the MTA New York City Subway, occurs as more jobs in the region are created outside the Manhattan core and in industries without traditional 9-to-5 workdays, such as healthcare, hospitality and arts and entertainment.
Through the 2015-2019 Capital Program, both railroads hope to continue pursuing major projects to expand capacity and improve connections, which will spur economic growth, reduce traffic congestion and make the region more sustainable.
The LIRR reported a year-end total of 85.86 million passengers in 2014, a 3% increase over the prior year. It is the third highest ridership since 1949 and highest since the modern record in 2008.
Metro-North carried 84.66 million passengers in 2014, a 1.5% increase over the prior year and the highest ridership in Metro-North’s history. Metro-North ridership has grown 77% over the past 30 years.
“In another era, young people would buy a car with their first paycheck. Now, with access to the nation’s most vibrant public transit system, more of them are buying train passes and MetroCards. Across our region, New Yorkers are developing a mindset that riding the railroad isn’t just about going to work anymore. It’s becoming more and more integrated into the fabric of daily life,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “That’s why we’re pleased to be continuing projects in our Capital Program that will improve rail travel in the years to come, including East Side Access for the LIRR, Penn Station Access for Metro-North, and the LIRR’s Ronkonkoma Branch Double Track Project.”
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Great article on the history and status of the project:
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That looks world class!!!
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