Valley Stream Switch & Signal Work On Schedule Normal AM Rush Hour Anticipated For Monday

LIRR Issues Video Update on Facebook & YouTube

Major signal and switch modernization work being performed in Valley Stream by the MTA Long Island Rail Road this weekend is progressing on schedule, and the LIRR anticipates a normal morning rush hour on Monday, October 26. Customers should continue to monitor LIRR updates via the media, LIRR Customer E-Mail alerts, Twitter at “lirralerts,” and at the MTA website . On Sunday morning, the LIRR posted a video update on Facebook and YouTube that illustrates the behind-the-scenes efforts undertaken by LIRR employees this weekend to modernize the LIRR.

Completion of the project will mean greater reliability and fewer service related delays for LIRR customers. About 400 trains each day pass through the area of the switch and signal upgrade.

This weekend, customers using the Babylon, Far Rockaway, Long Beach, West Hempstead and East of Ronkonkoma Branches have been taking buses for all or part of their trips and other trains are being diverted. To avoid delays, customers have been advised to use north shore or Main Line branches. Unaffected lines include the Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Port Washington and Ronkonkoma (west of Ronkonkoma) Branches.

Fans of the Yankees and Giants planning to use the LIRR today, Sunday, October 25, are also strongly advised to avoid South Shore branches and instead use one of the Railroad’s north shore or Main Line branches to avoid delays.

Extra LIRR personnel are on duty throughout this weekend to assist customers and to make sure the project is completed on time.

The Valley Interlocking Signal Cutover Project brings state-of-the-art technology to this critical LIRR location by replacing the 1930’s-era relay based signal technology with a modern microprocessor based system.

The Model 14 Interlocking Machine that relied upon electro-mechanical hand thrown switching at the Valley Tower will now use modern microprocessor-computer based technology. In addition, 29 switch machines in the area were modernized with electronic components replacing the outdated mechanical ones that had to rely on air compressors to operate. The new more reliable system will increase operational flexibility for the large volume of trains that pass through this area, helping to reduce customer delays. The cost of the project is approximately $60-million. Funding is provided by the MTA LIRR Capital Improvement Program and the Federal Transit Administration.

For round-the-clock information, customers can also contact the LIRR’s 24-hour Travel Information Center in Nassau County at 516-822-LIRR, in Suffolk County at 631-231-LIRR or New York City at 718-217-LIRR. The Travel Information Center’s TDD phone number for the hearing impaired is 718-558-3022.