Project Overview

The Double Track project is now operational!

Over the past 25 years, ridership on the Ronkonkoma Branch has doubled with close to 48,000 customers each weekday. With only one track along 13 miles of the 17-mile stretch between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, there was a significant risk to reliable service and on-time performance in the event of a service disruption: The Double Track Project is a 21st century solution for crowd reduction, delay prevention and service improvements.

The Double Track Project has introduced 13 miles of a brand-new second track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma. Construction of an uninterrupted second track on the Ronkonkoma Line has been part of the LIRR’s vision for decades – the project also includes new platforms and station rehabilitation at Pinelawn and Wyandanch Stations, as well as procurement, testing and installation of new signal equipment for the entire Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma segment.

The $431 million project was completed on an expedited schedule thanks to an innovative track-laying technology that lays rail 10 times faster than before, which, combined with a productive design-build approach, put this project on course for completion by the end of Summer 2018. The first trains are entering 14 months ahead of the original construction schedule, which was accelerated in 2016 at Governor Cuomo’s direction. Early completion of the project has freed up LIRR resources for other projects in support of LIRR’s expansion and modernization, like Positive Train Control, East Side Access, Main Line Third Track and Ronkonkoma Yard.

Double Track, in conjunction with East Side Access and the Main Line Third Track projects, will unlock this region’s true potential. LIRR can now provide better access to Brookhaven National Laboratory and Long Island MacArthur Airport; a second track gives this branch the capacity possibilities Suffolk County needs to grow, allowing transit-oriented development to function optimally and encourage smart growth near train stations.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Opens Second Track of LIRR Ronkonkoma Branch and Rededicates Wyandanch Station

By | Brentwood Station, Deer Park Station, Double Track, Farmingdale Station, Ronkonkoma Station, Wyandanch Station

On September 21st, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul joined LIRR President Phillip Eng and MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber to officially open the second track of the LIRR Ronkonkoma Branch and rededicate the branch’s rebuilt and fully-accessible Wyandanch Station. The second track of the Ronkonkoma Branch and the renovation of…

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6:07 from Penn Station Extended to Wyandanch; True Reverse-Peak Service Now Available for the First Time from Ronkonkoma, Central Islip, Brentwood, Deer Park and Wyandanch

By | Brentwood Station, Deer Park Station, Double Track, Farmingdale Station, Ronkonkoma Station, Wyandanch Station

The 6:07 a.m. train from Penn Station, which previously had terminated at Farmingdale, is now extended to Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood, Central Islip, and Ronkonkoma, where it connects with a train making all North Fork stops and due into Greenport at 8:54 a.m. This pairing of an extended train and…

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Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Historic LIRR Double Track More Than a Year Ahead of Schedule

By | Brentwood Station, Deer Park Station, Double Track, Farmingdale Station, Ronkonkoma Station, Wyandanch Station

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the completion of the Long Island Rail Road Double Track more than a year ahead of schedule. This historic project adds a second 13-mile track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma — a segment of the LIRR that carries 48,000 riders every weekday — and will…

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Historic LIRR investment seeks to ease riders’ woes

By | Double Track, East Side Access, Jamaica Capacity Improvements, LIRR Expansion Project, Moynihan Train Hall, New M9 Rail Cars, Positive Train Control

Billions of dollars in infrastructure investments being made now on the LIRR could transform how Long Islanders live and commute within the next five years, experts said. From new trains to new stations to new tracks, several big-ticket improvements long debated for the Long Island Rail Road are now approved,…

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RXR CEO: Rail projects ‘game changers’ for LI, which has lagged as NYC grew

By | Double Track, East Side Access, LIRR Expansion Project

Long Island has been “left behind” as New York City’s economy has surged, but the $11.2 billion effort linking the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal and other rail projects will be “game changers” for the region, RXR Realty’s Scott Rechler told a gathering of real estate executives Wednesday morning. The…

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