Did you know the Long Island Rail Road owns and operates on 516 miles of track? That’s not including an additional 110 miles of track in our yards and sidings.
Our complex infrastructure includes countless signal systems, switches, track circuits, and more — all of which need to be maintained for smooth operations. For 2020, we have laid out an aggressive schedule to tackle even more maintenance so we stay on top of what’s needed to deliver the service our customers deserve.
Indeed, the LIRR is coming off a 2019 filled with improvements: from an unprecedented amount of maintenance and construction work and carrying modern-record ridership — while still delivering on-time performance gains — to launching new customer-service initiatives, and increasing customer and community outreach.
We continued that trend of success last month, when we posted the highest January on-time performance since 2012.
I want to let you know that we are not resting on these numbers — we’ve only just begun.
This will mark another year of major infrastructure and capital accomplishments, all while we strive to improve customer service for our ridership — at 91.1 million, and growing.
In the first six weeks of the year, we’ve already accomplished several critical tasks: seven new switches installed; four miles of track resurfaced; constructing north track siding in Hicksville; and, on the Atlantic Branch, approximately 20,000 feet of continuous welded rail, while also supporting the LIRR Expansion Project, and Amtrak’s improvements at Penn Station. Other major projects that we support, like East Side Access and Moynihan Train Hall, remain steadfastly underway.
Read the full column at amny.com
Phillip Eng is president of the MTA Long Island Rail Road
