The Main Line Corridor Improvements Project

Why is there a need for Main Line Corridor Improvements?

Residents and Long Island Rail Road customers along the Main Line in Nassau County are all too familiar with the sights and sounds of passing trains. With over 200 trains each weekday, this high-volume corridor is an essential component of the region's transportation infrastructure. Within the Village of New Hyde Park alone, there are three rail-highway grade crossings that reach their traffic peaks at the same time that the Railroad operates its heaviest concentration of trains. The result is traffic congestion, increased vehicle emissions and noise pollution... and nearly 3,000 train horn soundings in each 24-hour period.

Covert Avenue, 8:45 AM		Artist's rendering depicting how a grade crossing may be eliminated

School buses need to stay on schedule in the morning and in the afternoon, as seen at Covert Avenue. Building a new, safe and efficient crossing ensures faster and safer driving conditions for emergency vehicles and all other vehicular traffic.

In the future, vehicle and train traffic is expected to grow to accommodate an anticipated growth in commuter ridership resulting from the increase in Reverse Peak and local riders. To meet growing demand for service in both directions, the LIRR would need to add 20 more trains, for a total of 106 scheduled AM Peak trains on this section of the Main Line by 2020.

With this roughly 28% increase in service planned in support of growing customer demand, gate down time is expected to reach at least 25 minutes per hour during the busiest portions of the AM Peak. During the most heavily concentrated portion of the PM Peak‚ from 6PM to 7PM‚ total gate down time at New Hyde Park Road is projected to reach 49 minutes alone, meaning vehicular traffic would be able to cross the tracks for only 11 minutes during this busy rush hour period.

With 235 scheduled trains passing those three crossings each day, New Hyde Park is currently subjected to almost 3,000 horn soundings per day. Future plans call for 281 scheduled trains per day by 2020, increasing the total horn soundings for scheduled trains to 3,372 times each weekday.

12th Street , 8:07 AM
12th Street, 8:07 AM

Pedestrians must heed downed crossing gates as they warn of a train's imminent approach. Elimination of grade crossings would consider the needs of pedestrians as well as motorists.