Our Maintenance of Way crews got busy this summer, aggressively making track improvements to help ensure the safety and reliability of our service. And while the leaves are starting to call it quits, our workforce will continue their enhancement efforts. Here's what was (and will be) accomplished.
What we accomplished this summer:
On the Hudson Line
- We installed 15,484 ties between Spuyten Duyvil and Hastings on Hudson, and between Cortlandt and Garrison.
- We installed 1,300 feet of new rail in the vicinity of Spuyten Duyvil.
- We renewed 6 switches between Park Ave. Tunnel and Harlem-125th Street Station.
- We surfaced about 24 miles of track. (Surfacing ensures the vertical evenness/smoothness of our track, providing a more comfortable ride.)
- We repaired over 2,500 direct fixation fasteners on the Park Avenue Viaduct.
On the New Haven Line
- We installed 628 ties throughout the entire line.
- We renewed 6 switches west of Stamford.
- We surfaced about 7 miles of track.
On the Harlem Line
- We installed 622 ties between Melrose and Crestwood.
- We installed 940 feet of new rail between Scarsdale and Hartsdale stations.
- We installed 1 switch between Fordham and Botanical Garden.
- We surfaced approximately 11 miles of track.
In Addition To All This, We've:
- Welded over 550 joints (the point where two sections of rail meet) on all three lines.
- Installed six new switches in Grand Central.
- Built the Devon Transfer platform, in conjunction with steel and timber repairs/replacements on Devon Bridge.
- Repaired the rail lift roller extensions and centering pins on the Walk Bridge in Norwalk, CT. (This helps ensure that it closes properly).
- Performed steel repairs and replace the deck on two tracks of the Devon Bridge in Milford, CT.
- Replaced one grade crossing on the Danbury Branch and five grade crossings on the New Canaan Branch.
- Major grade crossing rehabilitation and draining improvements on the Harlem Line - Roaring Brook Road - as part of a renewal process for all Metro-North crossings.
- Replaced two grade crossings on the Upper Harlem Line.
- Replaced a major culvert beneath the Hudson Line in Poughkeepsie.
What we will accomplish this fall:
On the Hudson Line
- Five switches and two crossovers will be renewed just south of Yankee Stadium, near the critical interlocking where the Hudson and Harlem lines converge, scheduled for eight weekends from October thru mid to late November.
- An estimated 7,200 ties and 8,000 feet of rail will be replaced just south of Poughkeepsie station. Work is expected to commence shortly and continue through November.
- An estimated 2,000 ties are being replaced between Manitou and Cold Spring Stations. Work is expected to continue through late October.
- We will renew the Hudson Avenue road crossing in Peekskill
On the Harlem Line
- Up to four new switches will be installed between Fordham Station and Botanical Garden in November.
On the New Haven Line
- Rehabilitation of the Hillside Avenue (steel, deck and road surface), North Barry Avenue (deck and road surface) and West Street (steel repairs) bridges on the New Haven Line (between Mamaroneck and Harrison) will be complete in November.
- We will begin the installation of a new passing siding north of Derby on the Waterbury Branch.