page_title: Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)
section_title: Second track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma
hierarchical_section_title: Main Line (Long Island Rail Road) / Major infrastructure improvements / Second track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma
caption_attribution_description: MTA LIRR press conference announcing the Double Track Project on the Ronkonkoma Branch. Workers began installing the first sections of rail on the $388M project which will build a second track over an 18-mile stretch between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma stations. Photo: MTA Long Island Rail Road / John Spoltore
context_page_description: The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins as a two-track line at the Long Island City station in Long Island City, Queens, and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles to the Greenport station in Greenport, Suffolk County. A mile east of the Long Island City station, the four tracks of the East River Tunnels join the two tracks from Long Island City; most Main Line trains use these tunnels rather than running to or from Long Island City.
  Continuing east, five branches split from the Main Line. In order from west to east, they are:
  Port Washington Branch
  Hempstead Branch
  Oyster Bay Branch
  Port Jefferson Branch
  Central Branch —single non-electrified track with no stations, connecting the Main Line to the Montauk Branch
  The Main Line contains four tracks between Harold and Queens Interlockings, and two tracks to the west and east of these points. Public timetables refer to the Main Line east of Hicksville as the Ronkonkoma Branch.
context_section_description: In 2012, the MTA approved a project to build a second track between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale. At the time, the only areas east of Farmingdale with two tracks were the segment between Deer Park and Brentwood stations, inclusive; at Central Islip station; and at Ronkonkoma station. Construction of the double track occurred on land that the LIRR has owned since the 1980s, when the land was acquired for the electrification project. The double track project also included upgrades to switches, grade crossings, and station facilities. This project increased operational flexibility by allowing reverse-peak service between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma and by increasing off-peak service between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma, with service operating half-hourly instead of just hourly. This additional capacity allows the Main Line to better serve as a substitute for South Shore lines in case of a disturbance caused by extreme weather. With the use of the New Track Construction (NTC) method, rail was laid down ten times faster than regular track laying methods, saving $7 million, and allowing the project to be completed 16 months ahead of schedule.
  Work on the two-phase project began in August 2015. As part of Phase 1, the section from Ronkonkoma to Central Islip, consisting of 4 miles (6.4 km) of track, was built to the north of the existing track. This section was laid using a NTC machine, followed by the installation of third rail. The southern track at Central Islip was extended to Brentwood to the south of the existing track. Phase 1 was completed in August 2016. As part of Phase 2, a second track was added between Deer Park, through Wyandanch, and past Pinelawn to the east end of FARM interlocking at Republic to the south of the existing track. A design–build contract for this phase was awarded in June 2016. This phase also involved rehabilitating grade crossings, demolishing pedestrian bridges, and building a second platform Wyandanch. Starting in August 2016, to accommodate the second track, supports were pile-driven into the existing embankment near the old site of the Deer Park station, brush was, and embankment was added between Pinelawn and the grade crossing at Little East Neck Road. The last five miles of track were added in January 2018, and the LIRR began connecting the new second track to the existing double-track segments in spring 2018.
  The entire project cost $387.2 million and was completed in September 2018, over a year ahead of schedule. As indicated in the MTA's 2015–2034 Capital Needs Assessment,the MTA will extend the double-track to Yaphank if funding is available. This will allow the LIRR to provide additional service in diesel territory, thereby saving travel time.
caption: Groundbreaking for Phase 1
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