LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD COMMUTER’S COUNCIL
MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 3, 2016
A meeting of the Long Island Rail Road Commuter’s Council (LIRRCC) was convened at 4:30 p.m. on November 3, 2016, at the LIRR Transportation Services Conference Room at One Penn Plaza, Penn Station – New York, NY
The following members were present:
Michael Godino
Ira Greenberg
Raymond Pagano
The following members attended via phone:
Bryan Peranzo
Larry Rubinstein
The following members were absent:
Gerard P. Bringmann
Sheila Carpenter
Owen Costello
Mark Epstein
Maureen Michaels
In addition, the following persons were present:
William Henderson -PCAC Executive Director
Hector Garcia -LIRR
Tom McHugh -LIRR
Richard Schulman -Concerned citizen
Ira Greenberg called the meeting to order. As there was no quorum, the approval of the agenda and minutes was deferred until more members joined the meeting.
Chair’s Report
Mr. Greenberg asked if there are any comments or questions on the Chair’s report, which was previously distributed to members. There were none.
Board Report
Mr. Greenberg discussed the situation surrounding the renewal of the LIRR’s agreement with the New York and Atlantic Railroad (NYAR). He said that the renewal of the NYAR operating agreement has not yet been approved and MTA Chair Thomas Prendergast has the support of the Board in exploring options for placing new requirements on the NYAR to address deficiencies in its operations.
In terms of performance, Mr. Greenberg reported that recently the LIRR has met on time performance goals generally, but there have been problems on the Port Washington branch that have reduced its performance. LIRR President Patrick Nowakowski blamed special events for diminishing the Rail Road’s on-time performance. Mr. Henderson noted that special events affecting on time performance are mainly sporting events where loading delays trains. Larry Rubinstein said that he had been using a lot of trains serving basketball and hockey games at Madison Square Garden and that loading has been delayed because not all cars are open while available cars are jammed. Mr. Greenberg stated that he will report this problem to the LIRR.
Member Report
Bryan Peranzo reported that he met with Chris Holbert, the Senior Project Manager of the Hicksville station improvement project. With Mr. Holbert, he inspected the station and tracks and saw much of the planned work. There is more work starting to take place at the station. In terms of the work in progress, the south platform floor replacement is underway, with a fifty foot section being replaced at a time. The work is taking place at all hours now, but Mr. Peranzo said that when construction reaches a point on the platform where it impacts commuters it will shift to a weekend only schedule. Work in progress will be covered with metal plates on the platform. The north side platform will be completed next summer. They will be doing track work at the same time.
Mr. Peranzo said that there is presently no impact on parking at present from the work on the station. Hector Garcia clarified that as work progresses there will be an impact on parking on the weekends. Mr. Peranzo commented that the workers on the project are parking in grassy areas. On weekends the project will use cranes and the road near Dunkin Donuts will be closed. He noted that there are new renderings of the project and that there will be a lot of vivid blue color installed over the concrete in the station.
Mr. Peranzo said that he asked about signage at the station and was told that there will be six signs per platform, increased from the present four. He said that he asked why signs are not staged so that riders can see other platform signs and why they are not aligned with stairs and that Mr. Holbert told him that he would look into sign placement. Mr. Peranzo noted that fire suppression is an issue, as there is currently no provision for it in waiting rooms. He said that project staff extended an invitation to the Council to come to the site to see the progress of the project. Mr. Garcia said that he will set up a visit if the Council requests one.
Guest – LIRR Director of Program Management Thomas McHugh to Discuss Superstorm Sandy Restoration with Integrated Resiliency Projects
Mr. McHugh said that he would discuss seven projects that the LIRR is pursuing. He said that the first of these is on the Long Beach Branch, where three substations were impacted and are being addressed. The Oceanside substation is complete and on line, the Oil City substation is in testing, and the Long Beach substation will be addressed next year. While there is nothing exceptional about the equipment furnished, the integrated resiliency element of this project involves raising substations to regulatory flood level plus four feet.
In doing the restoration work, the LIRR looks to relocate, raise, and substitute assets to reduce the severity of damage from future storms. The work on the Long Beach Branch is 80 percent complete. Larry Rubinstein asked whether they are reusing existing equipment, and Mr. McHugh replied that they are not and everything being installed is new.
The Long Beach bridge systems restoration element of this work includes signals and the third rail and was made necessary by the entire line being under water. Initially the signal cases were renewed, but further work is necessary because of the possibility of damage to cabling and other system components. The LIRR is keeping the existing system working while repair is underway and replacing existing signal huts with new units on elevated structures. In addition, all of the third rail components are being replaced. The project is 40 percent complete, with the signal huts making up most of the work. Mr. Greenberg asked if the work has improved the branch. Mr. McHugh said that it will be more resistant to storms as some elements are raised in height, some are replaced with sacrificial components that can be easily replaced, and some are hardened against flood.
The Recklee Bridge is another part of the work. This is a draw bridge and as a result the first step was to install an emergency generator to ensure that power is available to operate the bridge. A large amount of cabling was impacted at this location and this work also includes replacement of the signal system from Valley Tower to Long Beach. Crews are currently working on cable installation and performing trenching and conduit work. The design of the project is complete and construction is underway for an April completion. One complication is that the LIRR had to work around fishing season, as a number of boats depart from the area.
Mr. McHugh said that another project is an infrastructure system upgrade. This is a mixture of projects that include a gate at Penn Station, a roof for the Hillside Maintenance Facility, additional work at Far Rockaway, and work on the Shea Yard.
A larger project revolves around Long Island City. Mr. McHugh said that the first element to be addressed was the electrical substation in the Long Island City yard, which had components replaced and has been in operation since the first quarter of 2015. In general, this project features less restoration and more resiliency work. The work also includes remediation of previously existing issues that is funded by sources other than Superstorm Sandy resources. This is being done on yard tracks 9 through 12, as tracks 0 through 8 were completed in previous Capital Programs.
The yard at Long Island City was inundated and the LIRR determined that walls with gates is the solution to mitigate flooding risk. One complication is that tracks 9 through 12 are the yard’s only electrified tracks, so the first task is to electrify tracks 7 and 8. The current plan is to take tracks 9 through 12 out of service between September and May. This provides the opportunity to complete environmental remediation, after which the walls around the yard will be constructed.
Mr. McHugh said that there was a flood study completed as a part of the design and that it demonstrated that the walls do not increase the surrounding community flooding by more than one half to one inch. Mr. Greenberg noted that the surrounding community wanted the yard moved. He also discussed the conversations that had taken place regarding noise mitigation. Ray Pagano asked whether the LIRR had considered plantings as a means of noise mitigation. Mr. McHugh commented that what the community really wanted is to have the yard relocated, but that this would be difficult. He said that bid documents are currently being printed for Phase A of the project.
There is also a project to restore the West Side Yard. This project has a resiliency element with the construction of walls. The restoration portion of this project involves replacing the track and signal and power infrastructure in the yard, including switches. The work here is very challenging because of the platform that has already been constructed over the yard and ongoing Moynihan Station projects.
Mr. Greenberg thanked Mr. McHugh for his presentation.
Approval of Agenda and Minutes
A quorum now being in attendance, the agenda for the November 3, 2016 meeting was approved and the minutes for the October 3, 2016 meeting were approved.
Old Business
Mike Godino asked whether the temporary steel plates in Hicksville will be diamond plate to prevent slips. Mr. Peranzo said that they would be. In addition, the project includes the installation of tubing in the platforms so that in the future the platform can be heated to prevent snow and ice accumulation.
Mr. Greenberg suggested that an email be circulated to members on the issues of operational performance and fares. It was noted that the meeting with MTA Police Chief Coan could be addressed in the email.
Mr. Greenberg said that it would be a good time to get an update on the progress of the East Side Access project. Mr. Henderson asked Mr. Garcia if the Council should go through the LIRR on this, and Mr. Garcia recommended that MTA
New Business
No New Business was discussed.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
William Henderson
Executive Director