LIRR to perform switch installation at Atlantic Terminal

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
image description
This photo from 2012 shows work being performed on an LIRR switch replacement project.
MTA Long Island Rail Road/John Swanson

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is gearing up to conduct switch installation work near its Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn as part of its Vanderbilt Yard Reconfiguration project.

Part of the Atlantic Yards Project, the planned work is expected to boost efficiency by allowing trains to access the yard directly from Atlantic Terminal.

Currently, empty trains ending service in Brooklyn are required to backtrack east about a half-mile into the Atlantic rail tunnel. The trains then must stop and return west to access the rail yard for servicing and storage before being put back into service.

The current process prevents other trains from using the tunnel for up to eight minutes each time, totaling about two hours of blockage per day.

The new switches will enable trains to bypass these steps travel directly from the Atlantic Terminal to the Atlantic Yards instead. Officials said this will streamline train service in both directions.

Train service will be suspended for two consecutive weekends to allow crews to complete the work. Suspended service will begin after 10 p.m. on Dec. 1, lasting until 6 a.m. on Dec. 3, and be suspended again after 10 p.m. on Dec. 8 until 6 a.m. on Dec. 11.

New York City Transit and the LIRR are offering several cross-honoring options to allow passengers convenient service throughout the scheduled work periods.

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